Bodies of 9 Tourists Who Died on Klyuchevskaya Volcano Have Been Evacuated: New Details Emerged

Rescuers have completed the evacuation of the bodies of nine tourists who perished on Klyuchevskaya Volcano, as reported by the press service of the Kamchatka Regional Government to RIA Novosti.

“In the morning, the helicopter flew to the volcano. The pilots raised the aircraft to 4,158 meters and retrieved the bodies of the victims in two flights, delivering them to the Klyuchi settlement. They then ascended again to pick up the rescuers who participated in the operation,” stated the press service.

Today, the bodies of the victims will be transferred to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky for forensic examination.

A group consisting of ten tourists and two guides set out for the hike on August 30. On September 3, nine individuals began to ascend to the summit of Klyuchevskaya Volcano towards the crater, while three remained at the camp situated at an altitude of 3,300 meters. The travelers, caught in the emergency, came from six regions, including Altai, Primorsky, and Kamchatka territories, Vladimir and Novosibirsk oblasts, as well as Moscow.

On the same day, September 3, they called for help after five people died from falls due to the altitude, one climber was injured and lost consciousness, and the guide suffered a broken leg. On September 4, it was reported that a sixth member of the group had died. The next day, the deaths of three more individuals were confirmed.

On September 6, the three remaining members of the group were evacuated by helicopter from an altitude of 3,700 meters. The guide was hospitalized in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky for frostbite on his extremities.

The Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal case on charges of “causing the deaths of two or more persons through negligence.”