On the slopes of Mount Elbrus, Europe's highest peak, five climbers from the Bosnian city of Zenica lost their lives when a sudden deterioration in weather scattered their group at 5,100 meters and stripped away every margin for error. Among the dead were a married couple and a hospital doctor — ordinary people whose lives intersected, briefly and fatally, with one of the mountain's most ancient and indifferent forces. Two of the seven survived. The tragedy reminds us that the high places of the world do not negotiate: they simply change, and we must be ready, or we are not.
Five climbers found dead on Mount Elbrus after group strays in bad weather
Five climbers died from altitude-related illness after straying from route during severe weather on Mount Elbrus; two others survived.