At Least 11 Climbers Killed in Caucasus Mountains Avalanche
At least 11 mountaineers were killed and six remain missing after a massive avalanche struck the Bezengi Gorge in the Caucasus Mountains, Russian authorities confirmed.
Russian authorities confirmed on Monday that at least 11 mountaineers were killed in a massive avalanche in the Caucasus Mountains. The disaster, which occurred in the Kabardino-Balkaria region, was captured on video and widely shared on social media over the past 24 hours.
One video shows an immense wall of snow and ice cascading down a slope under clear skies, reportedly triggered by the collapse of a hanging glacier. The avalanche struck on Sunday at approximately 5:00 PM local time in the Bezengi Gorge, an area renowned for its jagged peaks and massive glacier, while a group of 33 climbers was trekking through the area.
In addition to the 11 confirmed fatalities, six other climbers remain missing, and their condition is currently unknown. The remaining members of the group managed to descend the mountain safely. A search and rescue operation involving 56 personnel and a Mi-8 helicopter was launched on Monday to locate the missing individuals.
The Bezengi Gorge stretches approximately 14 kilometers near the border between Russia and Georgia. It is surrounded by some of the highest peaks in the Central Caucasus, ranging from 4,000 to 5,200 meters in elevation, and contains the vast Bezengi Glacier.
In the footage recorded by tourists, one bystander can be heard saying: "You only see things like this in the movies, damn it!" A second person asks: "Do you think we should leave?" to which the first replies: "Yes, let's go, let's go. Damn. But how can you just walk away from a sight like this?" The tourists were seemingly unaware at the time that climbers had been buried under the snow.
The Caucasus Mountains attract thousands of mountaineers, skiers, and snowboarders annually, but the region is notorious for sudden weather changes and treacherous conditions. Mount Elbrus, Europe's highest peak located nearby, records between 15 and 30 deaths each year, mostly involving climbers unprepared for extreme conditions. Earlier this year, a massive avalanche struck a ski resort on the slopes of Mount Elbrus, which miraculously ended without any casualties.
