Heroic Italian Climber Dies Trying to Save Friend Trapped on 25,000ft Peak

Luca Sanigaglia died trying to take supplies to his friend

An Italian climber has died after making repeated attempts to rescue his injured friend trapped high in the Tian Shan mountain range on the border with China.

Luca Sinigaglia, 49, from Milan, lost his life on August 15 while trying to deliver essential supplies to fellow mountaineer Natalia Nagovitsyna, who had broken her leg during a fall on August 12 while scaling Pobeda Peak, also known as Jengish Chokusu, one of the most dangerous mountains in the world at 24,406 feet.

Natalya Nagovitsyna has been stuck at the top of a mountain with a broken leg since August 12

Sinigaglia, a cybersecurity expert, had already made one supply run but climbed again with a tent, sleeping bag, food, water, and a gas cooker to help Natalia survive until rescuers arrived. Tragically, he collapsed from low oxygen and hypothermia just a few hundred meters from her location. Doctors later concluded he died of cerebral edema, a fatal swelling of the brain caused by fluid buildup at extreme altitude.

He had been climbing with German mountaineer Gunthe Siegmund, who managed to return safely. Sinigaglia’s body was later recovered from the mountain.

Natalia’s sister, Patrizia Sinigaglia, hailed Luca as a hero, saying: “He carried out an act of great courage. He would never have left anyone behind, and especially not Natalia, with whom he had survived an experience that made them very close.”

He climbed twice back to the summit to reach her

Meanwhile, rescue efforts for Natalia have been severely hindered by extreme weather conditions, including gale-force winds and temperatures as low as minus 23°C. A military helicopter crash-landed during one mission, leaving four rescuers injured. On August 19, a drone flight confirmed Natalia was still alive in her shelter, but by Thursday no further signs of life were detected.

The Russian Mountaineering Federation has warned that saving her would be “almost impossible” due to the three-kilometer-long ridge that requires at least 30 rescuers to conduct an extraction at such extreme altitude. Federation vice president Alexander Pyatnitsyn said: “It will be almost impossible to save her.”

Three Italian rescuers—Manuel Munari, Mario Sottile, and Michele Cucchi—are awaiting authorization from the president of Kyrgyzstan to charter a private helicopter in a last-ditch attempt to reach Natalia.

Pobeda Peak, notorious for its brutal weather and remote location, is considered one of the most perilous climbs in the world. No climber has ever been successfully rescued from this altitude, underscoring the immense risks faced by Sinigaglia in his final, heroic act.