Search for missing Lithuanian climber suspended in Kyrgyzstan

The search for three climbers missing on Korumdu summit in Kyrgyzstan has been temporarily suspended because of dangerous conditions, LRT reports. Drone footage appears to show the bodies of the missing climbers, including Lithuanian citizen Sergei Rubtsov, local media reported.

The operation has been hampered by the high altitude and risks associated with melting ice on the summit. Final identification will be possible only after the bodies are brought down, according to the Kyrgyz news portal 24.kg.

Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations said rescuers had found footwear belonging to the climbers. Their backpack, sleeping bag and other personal belongings had been found earlier.

The next phase of the search is planned for late August or September. A special team will be formed, and the date will be coordinated with the missing climbers’ relatives.

Belarusian citizens Maksim Polyansky and Nikolai Sviridov and Lithuanian citizen Rubtsov began climbing Korumdu summit in the Trans-Alay Range on August 2. Several days later, the group was expected to begin descending to base camp, but rescuers were unable to contact them at the scheduled time.

Kyrgyzstan’s emergency ministry and volunteers then launched a search operation. Lithuania’s embassy in Kazakhstan is maintaining contact with Rubtsov’s relatives in Lithuania, while the embassy and Lithuania’s honorary consul in Kyrgyzstan are cooperating with Kyrgyz authorities, including rescue services.