Avalanche kills 13 during mountaineering exercise involving Russian special forces
An avalanche in the Bezengi Gorge in Kabardino-Balkaria struck a team drawn from several special units within Russia’s security agencies on September 6, several sources told the Russian business daily Kommersant.
On September 6, an avalanche in the Bezengi Gorge of Kabardino-Balkaria killed 13 people, according to multiple sources. The victims included 12 members of the Vityaz Special Purpose Center, a special forces unit of Russia's National Guard, and one instructor from St. Petersburg. The team, consisting of around 33 climbers, was participating in a training exercise.
The Russian National Guard initially denied reports of any fatalities among Vityaz servicemen, but later confirmed the deaths of some of their personnel. Among the deceased was Albert Izotov, an instructor who was killed in the avalanche. Five climbers remained missing, and 10 others required medical attention.
Written by urgent.news from Meduza (English)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
