Nearly 100 climbers died on Kyrgyzstan's Peak Pobedy, official says

Peak Pobedy in Kyrgyzstan, one of the world's most challenging climbing routes, is "littered with bodies," according to Alexander Yakovenko, chairman of the Russian Mountaineering Federation's classical climbing commission.

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The peak of Pobeda is littered with corpses.

Yakovenko stated that out of approximately 900 people who have summited the peak, nearly 100 have died. Some climbers have vanished, falling into abysses. He likened the climb to "crossing the Moscow Ring Road where cars are speeding at 120 kilometers per hour," questioning the safety of such an endeavor.

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For all time, about 900 people have climbed to the summit, and just under 100 have died. Among them are those who disappeared - they simply flew into the abyss.

He expressed surprise at questions about rescuing Russian climber Natalia Nagovitsina, who died on the peak last year after breaking her leg and being stranded for 21 days. Yakovenko emphasized that organizing such an expedition would risk more lives and be costly. A list of bodies remains on the peak, including one from a Georgian climber who died in 1961.

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Climbing Peak Pobedy is like crossing the Moscow Ring Road where cars are speeding at 120 kilometers per hour. Maybe it's easier to cross at a pedestrian crossing?

Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Emergency Situations cited a lack of suitable aviation equipment for high-altitude operations, making a rescue technically impossible. Following Nagovitsina's tragedy, the government introduced a permit system for climbing the 7,400-meter peak, the highest point in the Tian Shan mountain range. A drone survey on September 2, 2025, found no signs of life from Nagovitsina's tent.

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Organizing such an expedition means putting people's lives at risk. Such an operation would be costly, but the main thing is that someone will die.