See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy WILL STEWART Published: 10:52 BST, 7 September 2026 | Updated: 10:57 BST, 7 September 2026
At least 11 people were killed and six others injured after an avalanche struck a group of climbers in Russia's Kabardino-Balkaria region in the North Caucasus, local emergency services said.The avalanche swept down Mount Mizhirgi, one of the highest peaks in Russia's North Caucasus, at around 5pm local time on Sunday, hitting a group of 33 climbers.As of 9am local time on Monday, 10 climbers had made their own way down the mountain, while the fate of six others remained unknown, emergency services said.More than 50 emergency workers were involved in the search and rescue operation, but efforts were being hampered by difficult terrain and a high risk of further avalanches, they said.Major rescue efforts involving Mi-8 helicopters are underway for the six missing mountaineers. Six injured climbers were hospitalised.Dramatic footage shows the appalling moment crashing snow and rocks cascaded down the 16,465ft peak.The giant avalanche engulfed climbers in the Bezengi Gorge, an immense, heavily glaciated mountain barrier extending for roughly nine miles along the Russia–Georgia frontier.One theory was that a hanging glacier had partially collapsed. Dramatic footage shows the appalling moment crashing snow and rocks cascaded down the 16,465ft peak The giant avalanche engulfed climbers in the Bezengi Gorge, an immense, heavily glaciated mountain barrierTourists who watched and filmed the video were awe-struck evidently unaware that mountaineers had been swept to their deaths.'You only ever see something like this in the movies. ****** hell,' said one.A voice asked nervously: 'Do you think we should go?'Another answered: 'Yes, let's go, let's go. Damn. But how can you just leave something like this?'Then they decided that the avalanche had lost its force and was no longer a danger to them.The first officially recorded ascent of double-peaked Mount Mizhirgi - or Mizhirgi-Tau - was made by British climber Hermann Woolley in 1889.Earlier this year, an enormous avalanche engulfed a ski resort on Europe's tallest mountain - sending tourists running for their lives.Dramatic footage taken on Mount Elbrus, in southern Russia, shows a torrent of snow tearing down the mountainside on Thursday.People watched in horror from a car park at Elbrus Resort in Kabardino-Balkaria as the avalanche barreled towards them.Some tried to run, but were quickly swallowed by the huge snow cloud, with the area turning completely white within seconds.Mount Elbrus is Europe's highest peak standing at 5,642 meters, and is a popular, though challenging, mountaineering destination. The mountain sees an estimated 15 to 30 deaths each year, often involving unprepared climbers caught out by sudden weather changes.
