Mount Cheget, Russia – On Friday, March 3, 2017 an avalanche killed a group skiers on the northern slopes of Mount Cheget in the Caucasus Mountains in the Elbrus District of Kabardino-Balkaria in Russia. Four victims were found on March 3 and 3 more were found the next day.
The incident occurred around noon while the skiers were skiing in a closed area. The victims included 2 men and 2 women from Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod. Another skier was injured in the incident. Search and rescue were on scene until 16:51 when the injured tourist was evacuated (Yuga.ru).
Lenta.ru notes that the search resumed when tourists reported 3 friends missing. Rescuers and search dogs responded and located 3 more bodies in the avalanche. RBC.ru reports that the death toll increased from 4 to 7. Authorities claim the search is now complete, but the BBC.com states that search continues for additional people.
We will continue to update this post when more information is available.
Footage of the avalanche was captured on video and posted on YouTube:
Snow-Forecast.com reports that Mount Cheget is one of Russia’s largest ski areas. It is located south of Mount Elbrus.
Read more about the avalanche on Mount Cheget in Russia from the following sources:
All information in this post was found using Google Translate. There may be errors in this information. Please use the sources listed above to verify all facts.
