Climber who broke her leg on 24,000-foot peak is presumed dead

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Kyrgyzstan officials connected Wednesday said a hunt for a Russian climber who became stranded connected the country's highest highest aft breaking her limb much than 2 weeks agone had recovered nary signs of life.

Natalia Nagovitsyna was climbing the 24,406-foot Victory Peak but broke her limb and became stuck astatine an altitude of astir 23,000 feet. Mount Everest, the world's tallest peak, is 29,032 feet.

Kyrgyzstan's authorities information bureau said a thermal-imaging drone survey of the country wherever Nagovitsyna showed nary signs she was inactive alive.

"Based connected investigation of the information obtained and taking into relationship a operation of factors, including utmost upwind conditions and the specifics of the area, nary signs of beingness were recovered astatine Nagovitsyna's location," it said successful a statement.

Several rescue attempts failed to retrieve the 47-year-old climber, who spent much than 2 weeks successful a tiny orangish tent, torn isolated by gusting winds, astatine the upland apical wherever summertime temperatures scope little than -20C.

A drone that flew implicit Nagovitsyna's determination confirmed she was live arsenic of past Tuesday, The London Times reported, but determination was nary motion of beingness erstwhile the drone flew implicit the aforesaid country past Thursday.

An Italian climber, Luca Sinigaglia, died connected August 15, trying to scope her, 1 rescue chopper crashed and different attempts had to beryllium called disconnected arsenic climbers became sick and faced utmost upwind conditions.

Experts antecedently said nary 1 has ever been evacuated from specified a precocious altitude connected the mountain.

Victory Peak, besides called Jengish Chokusu, is the highest upland successful the Tian Shan upland scope and is located connected the China–Kyrgyzstan border.

Natalia Nagovitsyna's hubby Sergei died of a changeable successful 2021 portion climbing Khan Tengri (23,028 feet), the highest highest successful Kazakhstan, besides successful Central Asia, Russian media reported. The Daily Mail reported Nagovitsyna made headlines astatine the clip for refusing to permission her hubby connected the upland aft his stroke.

Earlier this month, a Chinese climber died after she was deed by falling rocks connected K2, the world's second-highest peak. In July, German mountaineer and Olympic golden medalist, Laura Dahlmeier, died portion attempting to ascent different highest successful the region.