12 Climbers Venture to Scale Tallest Active Volcano In Eurasia, 9 Died - 3 Rescued

Local authorities in Russia's far east said on Tuesday that three climbers who attempted to ascend the Klyuchevskaya Sopka, the tallest active volcano in Eurasia, have been saved.

From the original 12 climbers, two tourists and a tour guide were airlifted to the village of Klyuchi, which was the closest settlement.

According to local media reports, the other nine group members had passed away, with at least five of them reportedly dying from falls.

According to the Kamchatka Territory - Center for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Fire Safety press office, it is planned to evacuate residents of that area to Petropavlovsk on a board of the territorial center for disaster medicine.

According to authorities, one of the three rescued climbers suffered frostbite on the legs and arms while the other two are in good health.

The 12-person group had two guides included.

On August 30, the group, whose members had come from different parts of Russia, began their ascent of the 4,754-meter (15,597-foot) volcano.

On September 3, the group camped at 3,300 meters (10,826 feet), and nine individuals started a further ascent.

Falling and Hypothermia

At least five people died after falling to their deaths on Saturday at a height of about 4,150 meters (13,615 feet), and the others reportedly perished from hypothermia within a few days, according to local media reports.

The three remaining climbers took refuge at a cabin at a height of 3,300 meters (10,826 feet) while they awaited assistance.

The tourist group included citizens of the Altai, Primorsky, and Kamchatka regions, in Moscow, as well as the regions of Novosibirsk and Vladimir, according to the local prosecutor's office.

Due to dense gale-force winds and cloud cover, a helicopter rescue attempt on Sunday was unsuccessful.

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The Rescue

The rescuers claimed that despite making two attempts a few hours apart, they were unable to land at the planned altitude of 3,300m due to gale force winds of 30 meters per second or 67 mph.

The result of the search and rescue operation is dependent on several variables, according to the local civil defense authority, including weather, melting glaciers, ash clouds on slopes, debris flows, and rock falls.

Rescuers reported that overnight lows at Klyuchevskaya Sopka can plummet to 6.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

Klyuchevskaya Sopka

The volcano, Klyuchevskaya Sopka, which is a part of the Volcanoes of Kamchatka UNESCO World Heritage site and is situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea on the east and the Sea of Okhotsk on the west, has erupted more than 50 times since 1700.

Over 100 historical eruptions of Klyuchevskaya, Kamchatka's tallest volcano, have been documented in the last 300 years.

These eruptions have been distinguished by significant explosive and effusive events from the summit and flank craters. 

A criminal case has been opened by Russia's Investigative Committee, which is a federal agency, following the law's definition of two or more people being killed negligently, Newsweek reported.

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