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The rescue of an experienced mountaineer has been called off in Kyrgyzstan nearly two weeks after Natasha Nagovitsina, 47, broke her leg not far from the summit of the country’s tallest mountain, according to reports.
Nagovitsina, a Russian climber who garnered fame four years ago after she refused to leave her husband after he suffered a stroke, has been stuck at 22,965 feet on Victory Peak since Aug. 12, according to the Daily Mail. Despite her efforts, her husband died.
The summit of Victory Peak, in the Tian Shan Mountain Range on the border with China, is 24,406 feet. Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak, is 29,032 feet.
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The suspension of the rescue mission comes days after an Italian climber named Luca Sinigaglia died while attempting to help Nagovitsina, Italian newspaper, L’Unione Sarda, reported.
Sinigaglia died of hypothermia on Aug. 15, after making it up to where Nagovitsina was stuck, giving her a tent, sleeping bag, food, water and a gas cooker, the Daily Mail reported.
Other attempts to save her both via climbing and twice with a helicopter have failed, including an effort in a defense ministry helicopter that crashed. The crash left four injured, according to the London Times.
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The final attempt to rescue Nagovitsina was abandoned some 3,000 feet below where she is after the weather took a turn for the worse.
Rescue leader Dmitry Grekov said he didn’t think Nagovitsina could still be alive, according to the Daily Mail.
“I think not, because she has been there since 12 August – count how much time has passed,” he said. “It is unrealistic. It is unrealistic to survive at such an altitude.”
A drone that flew over where she was sheltering confirmed she was alive as of Tuesday, but there was no sign of life when the drone flew over on Thursday as temperatures sunk as low as minus 9 degrees Fahrenheit, The Times reported.
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