Three mountain-climbers die, one injured near Avacha volcano

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY. March 4. KAZINFORM Three mountain-climbers have died in the area of Kamchatka's volcano Avacha. Another one was injured. He was found alive and is being given medical aid. The dead bodies have been evacuated to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The circumstance of the incident are being clarified, an official at the Russian Ministry for Emergencies (RME) center for the Kamchatka Territory (KT) told on Monday.
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Sergei Khabarov, KT Minister of Special Programmes and Cossack Affairs, said the dead -- two girls and one lad -- had been in the area of the Avacha Pass together with a 20-member group of Alpica-Tour Company.

"In the morning of March 3, they set out on a search for their fellow mountain-climber who had walked away from the camp. They found hin but lost their way in heavy blizzard conditions and failed to return to the camp," Khabarov said. Their bodies were found by rescuers on Monday.

All those dead were experienced mountain-climbers who have been practising this kind of sport at the Kamchatka-based mounta-climbing club Kutkh.

"A storm warning was n effect in the KT over the past 24 hours. All those concerned, including travel firms which were advised not to take tourist groups into the mountains, were warned in advance about unfavourable weather conditions. However, negligent attitude to the warning resulted in tragedy once again," Khabarov pointed out.

Source: Itar-Tass

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