A harrowing two-week search for a Russian mountaineer stranded high on Victory Peak has come to a heartbreaking end.
Authorities in Kyrgyzstan confirmed that the “final” effort to reach 47-year-old Natalia Nagovitsina has been abandoned after repeated rescue attempts were thwarted by unforgiving weather and perilous conditions.
Nagovitsina became trapped nearly 23,000 feet above sea level after suffering a broken leg, an injury that left her unable to descend on her own.
Since her plight was first reported, Kyrgyz officials, international mountaineers, and volunteers have mounted desperate attempts to bring her down from the icy heights of Mount Pobeda, also known as Victory Peak. But despite helicopters, drones, and on-the-ground climbers being deployed, no successful rescue was possible, MailOnline reports.
The danger of the mission became tragically clear when Italian climber Luca Sinigaglia reached Nagovitsina last week, managing to deliver a sleeping bag to help her endure the extreme cold. He never made it back down, dying of hypothermia and oxygen deprivation on the mountain.
Other rescue efforts were equally perilous; one helicopter crashed, while another had been forced to operate in zero visibility. The already faint hopes of survival grew slimmer with each setback.
Officials now believe Nagovitsina has likely perished. The head of the Kyrgyz Mountaineering Federation said it was “highly likely” she succumbed to the brutal conditions, which plunged as low as –23°C, The Mirror details.
On August 19, drone footage appeared to capture her waving at rescuers, offering a fleeting glimpse of hope. But subsequent monitoring revealed nothing but worsening weather, sealing her fate.
This week, the last specialized helicopter brought in for the mission (an Airbus H125 flown by Italian pilots experienced in high-altitude operations) was withdrawn. With no safe weather window opening, authorities declared the rescue officially over.
“The rescue mission on Mount Pobeda was officially brought to an end. The Italian pilots have departed. Weather conditions remain poor,” a Russian mountaineering portal reported.
Dmitry Grekov, head of the base camp, admitted that while Nagovitsina’s death cannot be formally confirmed, her location lies in an area where no one could survive for long.
"We know where she is. But it's impossible to get there," he said, via CBS News. He remarked that, according to him, "no one has ever been evacuated" from such an altitude, adding: "It's impossible to do it manually, only by helicopter, and we don't have such helicopters in Kyrgyzstan."
Kyrgyz officials echoed the grim assessment, with Adil Chargynov of the Ministry of Emergency Situations confirming the helicopter and crew had been sent back to their home base.
Recovery of Nagovitsina’s body, authorities now say, may not be possible until spring, when the mountain briefly eases its icy grip.