The search for three mountaineers from Zenica who disappeared on Mount Elbrus has been temporarily suspended due to extremely bad weather conditions, the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Russian Federation, Ivan Orlić, confirmed for BHRT.
As he stated, a seven-member group of mountaineers from Zenica started a night ascent of Elbrus, and on the same day in the evening one of the participants of the expedition, Kemal Vidimlić, returned and informed the rescue services that two mountaineers were in a very serious condition.
Unfortunately, the deaths of Nermin Talam (1982) and Almir Krivdić (1963) have been confirmed.
“At the moment, they are looking for three of our mountaineers – Alma Okanović, Denis Okanović and Milih Čaušević. They are all from Zenica,” said Orlić.
He added that in the meantime, in a shelter below the peak of Elbrus, two women were found alive, but their identity and citizenship have not yet been established. The body of a male person was also found in the same shelter.
“I have no more information about that for now. We cooperate very well with the Russian side when it comes to all activities,” said the ambassador.
Orlić pointed out that the two surviving members of the expedition, Kemal Vidimlić and Haris Adilović, are in good health.
“I spoke with Vidimlić and Adilović today. They are in very good health, they are not in the hospital, they were given first aid and they are ready to return home,” he said.
Speaking about the continuation of the rescue operation, the ambassador emphasized that the weather currently prevents the search.
“The weather conditions are extremely bad. The wind blows at a speed of 70 to 100 kilometers per hour, visibility is almost non-existent and orientation can be lost in a moment. The search has been stopped because of this,” said Orlić.
According to him, 16 Russian rescuers are participating in the operation, and the search will continue as soon as the weather conditions improve.
