A drone is to be dispatched to find a stranded Russian climber in a ‘last hope’ to save her.
Natalia Nagovitsina, 47, is stuck at nearly 23,000ft on the Pobeda peak in Kyrgyzstan after fracturing her leg on her descent on August 12.
A search was suspended due to severe weather conditions for the 42-year-old, who is exposed to extreme temperatures as low as -23°C.
The drone mission is expected to be launched today due to favourable weather conditions, with the aim of ascertaining the climber’s condition.
If she is found alive, rescuers hope to evacuate her with the help of a Eurodrone, a remotely controlled plane.
Local media sources say the weather is worsening on the peak as the end of the mountaineering season approaches.
Pobeda or Victory Peak is the highest point in the Tian Shan