Large number of accidents in KBR's mountains caused by inflow of tourists

In June-August 2015, rescuers had to go for 50 times to help alpinists in distress in the mountains of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR). Employees of the Elbrus Rescue Team said that such a large number of accidents in the mountains have to do with an inflow of tourists.

In August this year, rescuers of the Elbrus Mountain Search and Rescue Team went to help tourists for 28 times; and in June-July – for other 22 times. In 12 cases during this summer, they were unable to help tourists, a member of the team told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

He explained this year's especially large number of accidents by "a large inflow of tourists to the Elbrus area."Not all of them pass a briefing on safety and register their route prior to embark on the ascent.

"Tourists themselves are guilty of all their troubles. They spare money to hire a guide. You've probably heard about Polish tourists who got frozen to death in the mountains. We've found two bodies, but can't locate the third one. Should they have paid 300 US dollars and hired a guide he would have never let them to get frozen. Our guides know the routes; and they have GPS-navigators with them," said the rescuer.

The above Polish tourists, who tried to climb Mount Elbrus and lost the route, needed help on August 17. On August 18, at an altitude of 5400 meters, two bodies were found and brought down from the mountain on August 19. The search for the third climber is still on.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.