In Ingushetia, debts for gas, electricity, and water have accumulated to more than 22 billion rubles. The head of the republic, Makhmud-Ali Kalimatov, described the situation as serious and stated that "radical measures" would be required to improve payment collection.
At least two people died in the mountains of Kabardino-Balkaria in one day. On August 19, rescuers evacuated the bodies of a 48-year-old tourist from St. Petersburg and a 51-year-old Indian woman, and also transported two injured people from the mountains.
The first accident occurred on the morning of August 19 near the "20 Years of the Komsomol" peak in the Chereksky District. Three tourists from St. Petersburg were at an altitude of approximately 2,200 meters when they were hit by a rockfall. The group called rescuers.
Emergency Ministry personnel who arrived at the scene found one man dead. Two others, a man and a woman, were injured. All three were evacuated by helicopter from the Ushtulu ravine to Upper Balkaria. The body of the deceased was handed over to investigators, and the injured to medics.
The group had registered their route in advance at the Bezengi alpine camp.
According to the SHOT Telegram channel, the deceased was the group leader, a doctor of physical and mathematical sciences, and an employee of an institute. He had recently become a mountain sports tourism instructor.
The second fatality occurred in the evening on the slope of Cheget. A group of three foreigners was at an altitude of approximately 2,700 meters, preparing to climb Elbrus. A 51-year-old tourist from India died during the accident. Late in the evening, rescuers evacuated her body to the Cheget glade and handed it over to law enforcement.
The Investigative Committee has opened an investigation into the woman's death. The cause of death has not yet been reported.
Both tragedies involved registered tourist groups. In the first case, rescuers worked after a rockfall, and in the second, they evacuated a deceased member of the group from the mountainside.
The mountains of Kabardino-Balkaria have been the site of several fatal accidents in recent weeks. In late July, five climbers from Bosnia and Herzegovina and a resident of the Krasnodar Krai died while attempting to climb Elbrus. In mid-July, a 48-year-old climber from Malaysia died while descending from Elbrus. Another climber from St. Petersburg died on Elbrus on July 7. On July 10, while attempting to climb Via-Tau Peak, two people fell into the Adyl-Su Gorge: one died, the other sustained multiple injuries.