Rescuers Begin Lowering Two Climbers’ Bodies From Kurumdy

Rescuers have found the bodies of two missing climbers on Kurumdy Peak and have begun lowering them. The body of the third member of the expedition is still being sought.

“A new stage of the operation, the descent, began on Kurumdy this morning. A helicopter dropped a team of five climbers on the glacier at an altitude of 4,300 meters. The rescuers set up camp and immediately began work. By evening, they found the bodies of two members of the group. Work to lower the bodies has begun. The search for the third continues. We have no more details at the moment. Communication with the camp is one-way,” climber Aliaksandr Smirnou reported on Facebook.

Belarusians Maksim Palianski and Mikalai Svirydau, as well as Lithuanian citizen Sergey Rubtsou, climbed Kurumdy Peak in Kyrgyzstan. On Aug. 2, the group reported that it had begun its descent but failed to reach the designated point. A large-scale search operation was launched. On Aug. 16, the bodies were found during drone footage.