ROSTOV-ON-DON, May 11, (RIA Novosti) - A helicopter will join a search operation Thursday for two groups of climbers from Russia and Ukraine missing near the highest peak in Europe, rescue services said.
A local emergencies ministry official said an Mi-8 helicopter would join the efforts of 36 rescuers to rescue 14 climbers who went missing late Tuesday at an altitude of 4,300 meters (14,000 feet) near Mount Elbrus in the western Caucasus mountain range.
"A joint group of the Elbrus rescue team and mountain-climbers from St. Petersburg is planning to search the area near the western slope," the official said, adding that 20 rescue workers would look for tourists on the eastern and northeastern slopes of the mountain.
