Avalanche in the Bezengi Gorge: 17 dead

What happened. On 6 September 2026 at about 17:00 a snow and ice mass came down the slope of the 5,000-metre peak Mizhirgi in the Bezengi Gorge (Cherek District, Kabardino-Balkaria). It struck a group of 33 climbers on a training outing. Ten people descended on their own; six with injuries were taken to hospital. Mizhirgi does not stand on the Bezengi Wall itself, but on a neighbouring side ridge of the same cirque, next to Dykh-Tau. The search lasted until 13 September: rescuers recovered the bodies of all 17 who died and closed the operation.