Climber says Russian mountaineer who died on Victory Peak could have been saved

Tengrinews.kz — Russian mountaineer Alina Pekova, who climbed all 14 of the world’s eight-thousanders in just a year and a half, believes that Natalia Nagovitsina, who died on Victory Peak (Pik Pobedy) in Kyrgyzstan, could have been rescued.

“I think she could have been saved. There was a chance. Even the rescuers don’t deny that. But it was the end of the season — there weren’t many people left in the camp, and everyone was exhausted. A strong climber was needed, someone willing to risk their life — but there wasn’t a single person, not one rescuer,” Pekova said in an interview with Nadezhda Strelets.

Nagovitsina began her ascent of Victory Peak in early August as part of a four-person climbing group. On August 12, she broke her leg and was forced to stay in a tent at an altitude of 7,200 meters. Her teammates tried to help her the next day but were unable to bring her down.
Several further rescue attempts were made — including by helicopter — but severe weather conditions made them unsuccessful.
On August 23, base camp leader Dmitry Grekov announced that the rescue operation had been called off. Later, reports suggested that new attempts might be made, but none took place.
On September 2, TV presenter Victoria Bonya posted drone footage showing Nagovitsina’s tent, confirming that she had passed away.
In early September, Eduard Kubatov, president of the Kyrgyz Mountaineering and Climbing Federation, officially declared Natalia Nagovitsina deceased.