Italian Climber Paid the Ultimate Price Trying to Rescue Russian Woman on One of the World’s Deadliest Peaks
Some mountains don’t forgive mistakes.
Victory Peak in Kyrgyzstan has claimed another life in a rescue attempt that shows just how dangerous these towering giants can be.
And an Italian climber paid the ultimate price for trying to rescue a Russian woman stranded on one of the world’s deadliest peaks in conditions that left seasoned rescuers helpless.
The Rescue That Became a Tragedy
Luca Sinigaglia knew the risks when he attempted to reach Russian climber Natalia Nagovitsyna on August 15.
She’d been stranded at around 23,000 feet on Victory Peak – known locally as Jengish Chokusu – for nearly two weeks after breaking her leg during her climb.
The 24,406-foot mountain straddles the border between China and Kyrgyzstan and ranks as one of the most challenging peaks in the world.
To put that in perspective, Victory Peak is just 5,000 feet shorter than Mount Everest.
But Sinigaglia didn’t hesitate when he learned about Nagovitsyna’s desperate situation.
Sinigaglia paid the ultimate price for his heroism.
He paid the ultimate price during the rescue attempt, adding another tragedy to an already impossible situation.
When Nature Defeats Technology
Rescue operations for Nagovitsyna have turned into a nightmare scenario that highlights the brutal reality of extreme altitude rescues.
A rescue helicopter crashed in the mountains during the operation.
A separate climbing team had to abandon their rescue mission when their leader became seriously ill.
Temperatures at Victory Peak’s summit hover around -22 Fahrenheit at night, accompanied by brutal wind gusts and snowstorms.
"Weather conditions deteriorated sharply, so all rescue operations have been suspended," Adil Chargynov, spokesman for the Kyrgyz emergency situations ministry, told Russian news agency Ria Novosti on Saturday.¹
The last confirmed sign of life came from a drone that spotted Nagovitsyna on Tuesday.
When the same drone flew over her location on Thursday, there was no sign of life.
The Impossible Physics of High-Altitude Rescue
Dmitry Grekov, head of the Victory Peak base camp, explained the harsh reality facing rescuers.
"We know where she is. But it’s impossible to get there," Grekov told TASS.²
According to him, "no one has ever been evacuated" from such an altitude on this mountain.
"It’s impossible to do it manually, only by helicopter, and we don’t have such helicopters in Kyrgyzstan," he added.
The numbers tell the story better than words can.
At 23,000 feet, the human body enters what climbers call the "death zone" – an altitude where survival becomes measured in hours, not days.
Oxygen levels drop to about one-third of what’s available at sea level.
The cold alone can kill within minutes of exposure.
A Pattern of Tragedy
This isn’t Nagovitsyna’s first encounter with mountain tragedy.
Her husband Sergei died of a stroke in 2021 while climbing Khan Tengri, a 23,028-foot peak in Kazakhstan.
Russian media reported that Nagovitsyna made headlines at the time for refusing to leave her husband on the mountain after his stroke.
Now, at 48 years old – she turned 48 on August 20 while stranded on Victory Peak – she finds herself in a similarly desperate situation.
The mountains of Central Asia have been particularly deadly this climbing season.
Earlier this month, a Chinese climber died after being hit by falling rocks on K2, the world’s second-highest peak.
In July, German mountaineer and Olympic gold medalist Laura Dahlmeier died while attempting to climb another peak in the region.
When Heroism Meets Reality
Chargynov delivered the news that everyone feared but expected.
"All climbers, all experts share the view that she is unfortunately no longer alive," he told Russian media.³
The suspension of rescue operations represents a painful acknowledgment that some situations exceed human capability to fix.
Italian rescuers are now focused on recovering Sinigaglia’s body using helicopters, according to the Italian foreign ministry.
Even that operation depends on weather conditions that have proven unpredictable and deadly.
Victory Peak stands as a reminder that nature still holds cards that human technology and determination can’t trump.
The mountain claimed one life and likely claimed another, despite the heroic efforts of rescuers who risked everything to save a stranger.
Sinigaglia paid the ultimate price trying to do what most people never would – climb into one of the most dangerous places on Earth to save someone he didn’t even know.
That’s the kind of courage that deserves to be remembered, even when the mountain wins.
¹ Adil Chargynov, statement to Ria Novosti, August 24, 2025.
² Dmitry Grekov, statement to TASS, August 2025.
³ Ibid.
