Kyrgyzstan continues the search for two Belarusians and a Lithuanian citizen who have not been in contact since Aug. 2.
On Aug. 11, a search team used a drone to survey slopes up to an altitude of 4,800 meters. No traces of the group were visible. The footage was sent to headquarters for analysis.
“We surveyed the snow-and-ice ridge and the slopes to its left and right at altitudes of 4,000 to 4,800 meters, and followed the spur up to 5,550 meters. Above that, everything was covered by clouds: the flight ceiling today was 5,000–5,500 meters, although the drone itself can reach 7,000. We saw no traces of the group. There is a lot of fresh snow on the slopes, and that works against us: the snow is hiding both tracks and belongings”, the climbers’ friends wrote.
With improved weather expected on Aug. 12, the search is planned to continue by helicopter. The search team intends to examine the most likely location of the climbers — an area between two camps that had previously been difficult to survey properly.
Belarusians Maksim Palianski and Mikalai Svirydau, as well as Lithuanian citizen Sergey Rubtsov, climbed Kurumdy Peak in the Zaalai Range on Aug. 1. The following day, the group reported that it was ready to descend, but did not reach the designated location and has not been in contact since. On Aug. 8, rescuers found a tent that the climbers had left as a storage site before the ascent.
Employees of Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations and volunteer climbers are taking part in the search. A fundraising campaign has been launched for the search operation.
