More foreign mountaineers missing

• Source: Global Times
• [03:44 November 05 2009]
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One of the rescuers told the local West China City Daily that the mountain is not a scenic spot and does not have an official liaison office.

It is the second time in the past week that mountaineers have been reported missing in the same mountainous region of Sichuan Province.

On October 28, four Russian climbers were trapped in a snow slide. Two survived, but two others were buried alive in the avalanche and are presumed dead.

The dead were identified as Igor Sherstnev, 39, president of the Amur Oblast Mountaineering Association, and his wife Anfisa Krasheninina, 29, a land surveyor.

Their bodies remain buried under snow 10 to 20 meters deep on Siguniang (Four Girls) Mountain, where they went camping on October 20, according to a press briefing held Tuesday.

The survivors said they tried to dig out their two companions, but failed. On Saturday afternoon, they reported the avalanche to local police. Mountain rescuers rushed to the site, but continuous snowfall has stalled the rescue.

The survivors suggested that rescue efforts be called off.

"Do not go up the mountain any more. The place is very dangerous. I don't want to see the accident happen again," one said.

The survivors said they would dispatch a team to search for the bodies in January.