Hope has all but faded for a Russian climber stranded for more than two weeks on an icy mountain.
A new thermal-imaging drone survey failed to find anything that indicates Natalia Nagovitsyna, 47, remains alive near the summit of Jengish Chokusu, or Victory Peak, where she has been stuck with a broken leg since August 12.
“Based on analysis of the data obtained and taking into account a combination of factors, including extreme weather conditions and the specifics of the area, no signs of life were found at Nagovitsyna’s location,” Kyrgyzstan officials said in a statement, reported CBS.
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Drone footage last week had shown she was still alive and waving from her tent.
The experienced climber reportedly became stuck at an altitude of 23,000 feet on the mountain which sits on the border of Kyrgyzstan and China.
Summer temperatures there drop below -20C, and her orange tent is believed to have been shredded by strong winds.
Rescue parties have been met with wild weather including heavy snowfall, and Italian Luca Sinigaglia died attempting to help her. A rescue helicopter also crashed.
At 24,400 feet, Victory Peak is the highest mountain in Central Asia’s Tian Shan mountain system.
Mt Everest, the world’s highest peak, is more than 29,000 feet.
Nagovitsyna was with her husband when he suffered a stroke and died climbing nearby Khan-Tengri, not far from her last known location, in 2021.
The mountaineer reportedly refused to abandon him until help arrived.
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