Abkhazia Accident/fwd. Alexander Klimchouk

Discuss training events, techniques, equipment, safety and related issues. Click here to visit the National Cave Rescue Commission webpage.

Moderator: Tim White

Abkhazia Accident/fwd. Alexander Klimchouk

Postby cavescom » Feb 6, 2006 4:58 pm

Dear caving friends,

With a great pain and sadness, I have to inform the international
caver's community about tragic accident with Ukrainian cavers in
Abkhazia. There are many misleading and wrong information in media
news spreading around, but cavers should be given facts?

Since the mid of January the speleological club of Kharkov conducted
an expedition to the Bzybsky Massif, the one adjacent to Arabika
massif, to continue their many years' exploration of Bozhko Cave. In
addition to Kharkov club members, cavers from Kiev, Sevastopol and
Nova Kakhovka (Ukraine) and Samara (Russia) joined the expedition, all
members of the Ukr.S.A. The cave exploration went smoothly and ended
successfully.

During recent days, the group of nine expedition members was climbing
down from the mountains by feet. Weather condition was bad, with
increasing snowfall. The group reached the tree zone and stayed for a
night at the altitude of about 700m. In early morning (5 a.m.) a
forceful avalanche struck the temporary camp. Five persons survived in
the accident (although injured to a various degree) but four cavers
were missing... In result of a search, performed by the survived
group members after the accident, one caver had been found dead. They
were not able to transport him down, so they left him in a marked
location. Other three victims were not found. Considering a bad group
condition, dramatically deteriorating weather and virtually zero
chance to find missing people alive, the rest of the group went
down and reached a village yesterday morning.

Continued snowfall precluded any possibility to perform immediate
search operation. The Ukrainian Speleological Association and the
Sochi (Russia) rescue unit are organizing the search work but the
operation will start when snow condition permit, presumably in one
week or so.

Heavy snowfall during last several days excluded any possibility for
immediate actions, although there was no hope for surviving anyway.

The lost cavers were: Danylo Nasedkin (Kiev), Maxim Gerasimenko
(Sevastolol'), Dmitry Chernenko (Hova Kakhovka) and Igor Bednikov
(Samara).

The shock and loss are enormous for relatives, friends. For the
Ukr.S.A. and the whole caving community.

Alexander Klimchouk


***********************
Dr.Alexander Klimchouk
P.O.Box 136
Kiev-30, 01030, Ukraine
Phone: +380-44-5851853, +380-4473-30194,
Mobile: +380-50-1668243
Fax: +380-44-5851853
E-mail: klim@speleogenesis.info
UIS KHS Commission website and
The Virtual Scientific Journal:
http://www.speleogenesis.info
User avatar
cavescom
Prolific Poster
 
Posts: 195
Joined: Sep 19, 2005 9:09 pm
Location: Michigan
  

Bozhko Cave

Postby cavescom » Feb 6, 2006 5:18 pm

NOTE:
There is an article in our 8th issue page 25 http://www.cavediggers.com/magazine/Issue8.pdf that describes Bozhko Cave in Abkhazia....i.e. article, map, and photos.

Mark Passerby, Caves.com
User avatar
cavescom
Prolific Poster
 
Posts: 195
Joined: Sep 19, 2005 9:09 pm
Location: Michigan
  


Return to Cave Rescue Techniques Forum

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users

cron