Avalanche caught on camera kills 11 climbers in Russia’s Caucasus, 6 missing
RUSSIA’S, Georgia — At least 11 climbers were killed and six others remained missing Monday after a massive avalanche swept through Russia’s Caucasus Mountains, authorities said, in a disaster captured in dramatic videos that spread across social media.
Search efforts and public alert
Footage from the Kabardino-Balkaria region shows an enormous mass of snow and ice racing down the mountainside beneath clear skies.
The avalanche struck the Bezengi Gorge at around 5 p.m. local time Sunday while a group of 33 climbers was in the area.
Eleven were confirmed dead and six were still unaccounted for, while the remaining members of the group managed to descend safely, according to Russian authorities.
A search involving 56 rescue personnel continued Monday, supported by an Mi-8 helicopter. ‘You only see things like this in movies’ One video posted online was filmed by tourists watching the avalanche from a distance.
“Damn! You only see things like this in movies,” one man can be heard saying as the avalanche surges down the slope.
Another asks whether they should leave.
Search and investigation
Investigators believe the avalanche may have been triggered by the collapse of a hanging glacier, though the cause has not been definitively established.
