Rescue missions for well-known Russian climber Natalia Nagovitsyna, trapped on the icy summit of Kyrgyzstan’s highest mountain, have been indefinitely abandoned after two weeks. Officials came to the decision to halt operations following the death of a climber who took part in an attempt to reach her, according to the Kyrgyz Ministry of Emergency Situations.

The rescuer who perished was Italian mountaineer Luca Sinigaglia. The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced his death on August 15. Extremely bad weather conditions have so far made it impractical to recover his body.

Nagovitsyna—who lost her climber husband in a climbing tragedy four years ago—was attempting to descend from Jengish Chokusu, or Victory Peak (height 7,439 metres, or 24,406 feet), on August 12 when she broke her leg.

Dmitry Grekov, head of the Victory Peak base camp, told Russian news agency TASS that rescuers “know where [Nagovitsyna] is”, adding: "It’s impossible to get there."

Peak of Jengish Chokusu seen from the Southern Inylchek Glacier (Credit: Maryliflower, cc-by-sa 4.0).

Radio Azattyk, meanwhile, quoted Grekov as saying that he warned Nagovitsyna and her climbing companion before they set off that the weather was set to deteriorate on the mountain on August 11.

One group of climbers did reach Nagovitsyna to provide her with some supplies, but due to extreme conditions they were not able to help her down from the summit, the highest mountain in the Tian Shan mountain system, and which sits at Kyrgyzstan’s border with China.

Repeated attempts to save Nagovitsyna have included operations involving helicopters. One helicopter suffered a hard landing during one such operation, with several onboard injured.

CNN reported on August 25 that Nagovitsyna was spotted on a surveillance drone not far from the top of the mountain on August 19. A spokesperson for the Kyrgyz Ministry of Emergency Situations said it was believed that she was alive at the time. But on August 23, authorities suspended the search, with heavy snowfall and other difficult weather continuing to worsen sharply. Temperatures were reported to be around -30C (-22F) at night on the summit.

The ministry has also stated that Kyrgyzstan lacks the kind of helicopter that would be needed to mount a rescue attempt with a good chance of success.

If the plight of Nagovitsyna ends in tragedy then it will follow that of her husband, Sergei Nagovitsyn, who in 2021 became paralysed and incapacitated during an expedition to another Tian Shan mountain, Khan-Tengri, located on the Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan-China tri-point. Nagovitsyna was with Sergei during the incident. She refused to leave his side until rescuers arrived. Sadly, he died while still on the mountain.

Both Jengish Chokusu and Khan-Tengri are one of the so-called Snow Leopard mountains, the five 7,000-ft-plus peaks of the former Soviet Union. Ascending all five is considered a major achievement. Only around 700 people, including 30 women, have accomplished the feat.