11-year-old boy dies after falling with father on Mount Elbrus, Russia’s highest mountain

An 11-year-old boy died on Mount Elbrus while climbing with his father, 40, the Investigative Committee’s investigative department for the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic announced after opening a preliminary inquiry into the incident.

The climb went wrong on the morning of July 19 on the mountain’s eastern slope. The man — identified by Telegram channels as Roman — and his son fell from a cliff at roughly 4,200 meters (13,780 feet). The boy died on the spot; his father sustained fractures and other injuries.

A search team located the site late Sunday evening, but poor weather and darkness prevented a helicopter evacuation until Monday morning. The father has broken ribs and injured knees, the Russian security services-linked Telegram channel Baza reported.

On the way up, Roman and his son encountered another hiker descending with his own 14-year-old son, who warned them it was dangerous to continue — but the pair pressed on, the Russian security services-linked Telegram channel Mash reported. Roman later told rescuers that the boy twisted his ankle and grabbed a cable, but the anchor gave way and they fell, Baza reported.

The father and son had not registered their route. The Emergency Situations Ministry told Ren TV it would not have approved a climb involving an 11-year-old child, the channel reported — though it also noted that because the two were not a registered tourist group, they had no legal obligation to seek approval.