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Tragic End to Pobeda Peak Rescue Operation
Rescue authorities in Kyrgyzstan have made the difficult decision to abandon the search for Russian mountaineer Natalia Nagovitsyna, who has been stranded for 13 days on Pobeda Peak, the highest mountain in the Tian Shan range at 7,439 meters. The 47-year-old climber broke her leg during her descent on August 12th and has been unable to move from her position at approximately 7,100 meters altitude.
Dangerous Conditions Halt Rescue Efforts
The rescue operation has been plagued by tragedy from the beginning. During initial attempts to reach Nagovitsyna, Italian climber Luca Sinigaglia lost his life while attempting to assist her. The experienced mountaineer succumbed to exhaustion and oxygen deprivation just 500 meters from Nagovitsyna's location. His body remains unrecovered on the mountain.
Further complicating rescue efforts, a rescue helicopter made a hard landing in poor weather conditions, injuring several crew members. Despite these setbacks, rescuers managed to deliver supplies and a tent to Nagovitsyna's location but were unable to evacuate her due to severe snowstorms and high winds.
The Challenge of Pobeda Peak
Pobeda Peak, also known as Jengish Chokusu or Victory Peak, presents one of the most challenging climbs in Central Asia. As the northernmost 7,000-meter peak in the world, it features extremely short climbing seasons and notoriously unpredictable weather patterns. The mountain straddles the border between Kyrgyzstan and China's Xinjiang province.
The peak has a tragic history in mountaineering circles. In 1955, a Soviet expedition lost 11 of its 12 members to a devastating blizzard. The mountain's first confirmed ascent wasn't achieved until 1956 by Vitaly Abalakov's team.
Final Sighting and Uncertain Fate
Nagovitsyna was last seen alive on August 19th when a drone managed to reach her location and confirmed she was still conscious. However, authorities have been unable to establish contact since then and cannot confirm her current condition. The extreme altitude, combined with sub-zero temperatures and hurricane-force winds, makes survival beyond a few days nearly impossible without proper medical care.
Kyrgyz emergency services cited "impossibly dangerous weather conditions" as the primary reason for suspending operations. The area has experienced continuous snowfall with visibility often reduced to zero, while wind speeds have regularly exceeded 100 km/h.
This tragedy marks another somber chapter in the history of high-altitude mountaineering rescue operations, highlighting the extreme risks involved in attempting saves at the "death zone" altitudes above 8,000 meters where human survival is measured in hours rather than days.
