Four climbers, two Koreans and two Italians, remain missing following a weekend storm on Mont Blanc.
The two Italians, a 40-year old man from Lombardi and a 40-year-old woman from Liguria, set out on Friday night from the Cosmiques mountain hut. They were following one of the standard routes on the French side of the 4,805m mountain.
On Saturday, one or both of the climbers fell into a crevasse but managed to get out. They then phoned for a rescue. “Help, we risk freezing to death!” they reportedly said.
Their last known position was near the summit, around 4,500m, in poor visibility. As of Sunday, there has been no further word from them.
Around the same time, a team of four Korean climbers became separated. Two of them were rescued unharmed, but there is no news about the whereabouts of the other two.
Mont Blanc massif. Photo: Shutterstock
Rescue attempts aborted on Sunday
The Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haut Montagne of Chamonix-Mont Blanc set out on foot from the Aiguille du Midi to search for the missing climbers. They reached 4,200m before having to turn around because of bad weather.
Meanwhile, the Aosta Valley Mountain Rescue team tried to reach the two stranded Italians in the Dome du Gouter area yesterday. Due to bad weather, they too had to abort their efforts but are trying again today.
They will also try to locate the two Koreans, whose position remains unknown. The temperature above 3,000m is below freezing, so a prompt rescue is vital.
