Overview

• The Ministry of Emergency Situations suspended operations to reach Russian mountaineer Natalia Nagovitsina, who broke her leg on August 12 around 23,000 feet on Victory Peak.
• A drone flyover on August 19 indicated she was alive, but subsequent checks reported no signs of life as temperatures fell to about minus 23C.
• Italian climber Luca Sinigaglia, 49, died on August 15 during a second ascent to aid Nagovitsina after delivering a tent, sleeping bag, food, water and a small stove.
• Military rescue attempts were halted after a defense ministry helicopter crash‑landed and injured multiple responders, with zero visibility thwarting later flights.
• A privately organized Italian team seeking to charter a helicopter reported waiting for presidential authorization in Kyrgyzstan, with prospects described as extremely unlikely by mountaineering officials.