Helicopter airlifts two injured Russian climbers from Kazakhstan's Ile Alatau range
Two Russian climbers, injured during separate ascents in Kazakhstan’s Ile-Alatau mountain range, were airlifted to safety by emergency rescuers on Friday, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Emergency services received a call through the 112 dispatch system requesting the urgent evacuation of two women, both members of separate climbing groups attempting routes of different difficulty levels.
The first climber, a 24-year-old woman, sustained an open leg fracture while ascending Oktyabrenok Peak in the Karasay district of the Almaty region. The second, aged 34, was injured while climbing Mayakovsky Peak in the Talgar district.
The Ministry dispatched rescuers from the Barys Republican Rescue Squad and the Almaty Emergency Rescue Service, along with medical personnel from the Disaster Medicine Center, aboard an Mi-8 helicopter.
The helicopter first evacuated the 34-year-old climber from Mayakovsky Peak, located at an elevation of 4,208 meters above sea level, then flew to Oktyabrenok Peak, which stands at 3,480 meters, to rescue the second woman with an open leg fracture.
After the operation, the helicopter landed at Almaty City Clinical Hospital No. 4, where both women were transferred to medical staff for treatment.
The Ministry said the rescue was successfully carried out in extremely challenging high-altitude conditions, with the helicopter crew making precision landings on confined sites surrounded by steep, rocky slopes to ensure the climbers’ safe evacuation.
Authorities also reminded climbers that mountaineering requires careful preparation, close monitoring of weather conditions, use of certified equipment, and strict compliance with safety regulations.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that rescuers had found the bodies of four people on Broad Peak (8,051 m) in Pakistan, where a group of 10 climbers went missing following an avalanche.
