An avalanche on Mount Mizhirgi in Kabardino-Balkaria has killed at least 11 people, TASS reported, citing the Emergency Situations Ministry. Of a 33-person party, 10 escaped unharmed, six were injured and six remain missing. The slide struck the 5,018-metre peak in the Bezengi Valley. TASS called it Russia's deadliest mountaineering accident since a 2022 avalanche in North Ossetia that killed over 120.
At Least 11 Killed in Avalanche on Mount Mizhirgi in Russia's North Caucasus
FILE PHOTO - The snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus Mountains can be seen near the Russian Olympic venue of Krasnaya Polyana. (is associated with: «At least 11 people die after avalanche in the North Caucasus») Jens Büttner/dpa
At least 11 people have died after an avalanche struck Mount Mizhirgi in Russia's North Caucasus, the TASS news agency reported on Monday, citing the Emergency Situations Ministry.
The avalanche hit the peak — which rises to 5,018 metres — in the Bezengi Valley of the Kabardino-Balkaria republic. According to the report, the party involved numbered 33 people: 10 escaped unharmed, six were injured, and six remain missing.
TASS described the incident as Russia's deadliest mountaineering accident since a 2022 avalanche in North Ossetia that killed more than 120 people. Officials cited in the report have not released further details about the missing climbers or ongoing search-and-rescue efforts.
What Officials Have Said
The Emergency Situations Ministry was the source cited by TASS for casualty and status figures. Local authorities and rescue teams are typically involved in high-altitude responses in the region, though the agency’s brief bulletin provided only the core numbers at the time of reporting.
Note: Further updates are likely as rescue operations continue and authorities release more information.
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