MOSCOW, Sept 7 (Reuters) – 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 5 p.m. local time (1400 GMT) on Sunday, hitting a group of 33 climbers.
As of 9 a.m. 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.
(Reporting by Anton KolodyazhnyyWriting by Maxim RodionovEditing by Gareth Jones)
