The son of Natalia Nagovitsina, who has been stuck on a mountain for two weeks, has urged rescue workers not to give up as he is 'sure' his mom is still alive.
Mikhail Nagovitsin, 27, shared his plea after Natalia, also known as Natasha, broke her leg on August 12 while attempting to descend from the summit of the mountain called Jengish Chokusu, or Victory Peak, which sits at Kyrgyzstan’s border with China.
Multiple rescue attempts have been made to reach Natalia, with one effort sadly resulting in the death of Italian mountaineer Luca Sinigaglia.
On August 23, when Natalia had been stuck at 22,965 feet for 11 days, authorities had to suspend the search due to bad weather conditions, including heavy snowfall, which continued to worsen.
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However, Mikhail has requested that the search 'be resumed'.
He assured that his mother was equipped to survive on the mountain, saying: “My mother is an experienced climber… and is also in very good shape. I am sure that she is alive and want the search to be resumed.”
Mikhail referenced previous drone footage taken of his mom, saying: “In the video I received, it is clearly visible that seven days after losing contact, she is actively waving her hand, full of strength."
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With that in mind, Mikhail has requested that authorities at least carry out another drone flight to check for signs of life.
After the Kyrgyzstan authorities aborted rescue attempts, the 27-year-old has now attempted to appeal to Russian president Vladimir Putin’s government.
He said: “I ask for assistance in organizing aerial video shooting of the Peak Pobeda area using drones to confirm the fact that she is alive.
“If this fact is confirmed, then organize a rescue operation.”
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Mikhail claiming that rescuers were waiting for a 'weather window' to make further efforts to rescue his mother, claiming: “[On] 25th August the forecast was predicted good weather.
“But there was no good weather on the mountain. And they continued to wait for a weather window - but this morning, the entire rescue operation was disbanded, and the reason is unknown. This fact alarms me.”
However, Ilim Karypbekov, vice president of the Kyrgyz Mountaineering Federation, has defended the decision to suspend rescue efforts, saying that the weather was 'not favorable'.
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“Professional pilots flew in from Italy,” he said. “But when they flew to the area by helicopter, the weather was not favourable. Before that, they invited a drone pilot who was ordered to probe the area, but it was not possible.
“And the forecast said that in the coming week, five or six days, the weather would not be stable enough to fly a helicopter, let alone a drone. So they called it off."
Karypbekov further claimed: “No one could survive that long."
On the back of that claim, Karypbekov suggested that rescue workers may need to wait until 'next season' to recover Natalia's body.
Topics: China, Russia, World News, Vladimir Putin
Emily Brown