Five climbers have been found dead after a group of foreign hikers became lost in rapidly worsening weather on Russia’s Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe.
The group of seven climbers was attempting to scale the mountain on Friday, July 24, when conditions began to deteriorate, according to the local prosecutor’s office.
By the following evening, the hikers had strayed from their planned route as severe weather swept across the mountain.
One member of the group managed to descend and alert authorities, reporting that two climbers had become ill and died at an altitude of approximately 16,732 feet.
Rescue crews later located another surviving climber along with the bodies of three additional members of the group, bringing the death toll to five.
Two bodies have reportedly been recovered from the mountain. However, the remains of the other three climbers could not immediately be brought down because of the dangerous weather conditions.
Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said the two survivors were transported for medical treatment. Details about their conditions were not immediately released.
Regional law enforcement officials said all five climbers who died were citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The group reportedly came from the Bosnian city of Zenica and included a married couple and a female doctor, according to local media reports cited by Reuters.
Bosnia’s foreign minister, Elmedin Konakovic, described the deaths as “a major tragedy.”
Mount Elbrus rises approximately 18,510 feet above sea level and is considered the tallest mountain in Russia and Europe.
Although the mountain attracts climbers from around the world, it is known for sudden shifts in weather, freezing temperatures and dangerous conditions that can quickly leave hikers disoriented or stranded.
Authorities have not released the names of the climbers who died.
Recovery efforts remained complicated by the severe weather, while officials continued investigating the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
