At least 14 climbers died after an avalanche on Mount Mizhirgi in Kabardino-Balkaria. Three more people are still missing. Search and rescue operations have been suspended due to a new melting of snow and ice.

The tragedy occurred on the evening of September 6 in the Bezengi Gorge. At about 17:00, an avalanche descended on a section of the route from Mount Mizhirgi and covered the climbers who were there. Initially, rescue services reported a group of 15 people. It later turned out that there were 33 climbers on the route. Ten of them managed to get out of the danger zone on their own and go down the mountain. Six more were injured and were hospitalized.

Rescuers began searching for the remaining participants. The work took place in difficult conditions: the area has inaccessible terrain, and the persistent avalanche danger posed a threat to the search teams themselves.

Rescuers discovered the 14th dead climber on September 9. The bodies of the victims were evacuated by helicopter to Nalchik and handed over to law enforcement officers.

Mizhirgi is located in the area of ​​the Bezengi Gorge, one of the famous mountaineering areas of the Caucasus. According to reference books, the massif contains difficult routes, including categories 5A and 5B. However, it is not officially reported which peak the group was heading to. It is known that among the dead were employees of the Russian Guard. The department confirmed this information, but denied the reports that appeared about the death of servicemen of the Vityaz Special Purpose Center.

Based on the incident, the Investigative Committee is investigating a criminal case of negligence. The circumstances under which the group found itself on the route during the avalanche are being established.