Rescue attempts to save Russian mountaineer Natalia Nagovitsina, 47, have been abandoned after she spent at least 10 days stranded nearly 23,000 feet up Victory Peak in Kyrgyzstan with a broken leg.
Jengish Chokusu (Victory Peak, Pik Pobeda), Southern Inylchek Glacier, Tien Shan/Maryliflower/Wikimedia Commons
Nagovitsina became trapped at an altitude of 22,965 feet on Victory Peak—also known as Jengish Chokusu or Pik Pobedy—as temperatures plummeted to -23°C, according to LadBible reports.
The mountain, at 24,406 feet, is the highest in Kyrgyzstan and straddles the border with China in the Tian Shan range.
Drone footage filmed three days ago showed her still moving, after Italian climber Luca Sinigaglia, 49, delivered vital supplies, including a sleeping bag, a tent, food, water, and a gas cooker. Tragically, Sinigaglia later died from hypothermia and lack of oxygen.
“He carried out an act of great courage. He would never have left anyone behind, and especially not Natalia, with whom he had survived an experience that made them very close,” his sister Patrizia told The Times.
His body was later recovered from an ice cave, where he is believed to have collapsed from exhaustion. “It was an action to be proud o,f that unfortunately did not allow him to return to us. But that was Luca,” Patrizia added.
Attempts to reach Nagovitsina by both climbing parties and helicopters were unsuccessful. One military Mi-8 helicopter crashed, while another was forced to retreat due to worsening weather.
Rescue leader Dmitry Grekov, head of the base camp, confirmed the final search was called off after team leader Vitaly Akimov sustained back injuries during the earlier helicopter crash.
When asked if Nagovitsina could still be alive, Grekov responded: “I think not, because she has been there since 12 August – count how much time has passed. It is unrealistic. It is unrealistic to survive at such an altitude.”
The Russian Mountaineering Federation also cast doubt on her chances of survival. Its vice president Alexander Pyatnitsyn said: “It will be almost impossible to save her. There’s a three-kilometre-long ridge, and it takes at least 30 people in such a situation to rescue a person from there.”
The case highlights the dangers of high-altitude climbing on Victory Peak, a mountain that has long been regarded as one of Central Asia’s most treacherous summits.
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