Body of Georgian mountaineer found after fatal accident on Svaneti peak

Rescuers have recovered the body of Archil Badriashvili, a 34-year-old Georgian alpinist who lost his life in an accident on the Shkhelda peak in the country’s north-western region of Svaneti last week, the Emergency Management Service confirmed on Monday.

Badriashvili went missing on the peak at an altitude of approximately 3,800 metres while navigating a rocky slope, after he set off on an expedition with three other mountaineers, with a lightning strike suspected as the cause of his death while he was attempting a descent.

The body said a helicopter crew had been deployed to aid the search this morning, despite “challenging weather conditions” on the ground, before the climber’s body was discovered.

Three other climbers were evacuated to the region’s central town of Mestia using a border police helicopter on Sunday.

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Badriashvili was an experienced climber and recipient of the Piolet d’Or award for his ascent of the 7,300m Saraghrar Northwest, the fourth-highest independent peak in Hindu Kush in 2021 together with Bakar Gelashvili and Giorgi Tepnadze.

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In 2019, Badriashvili, along with Tepnadze, summited Nanga Parbat, the 8,126-metre peak of the Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan, known for its technically challenging and snowy slopes.

Last month, he successfully climbed another challenging peak of Nanda Ghunti in India.

The American Alpine Journal shared a social media message on Sunday, sharing “sincere condolences” to Badriashvili’s family and friends in the name of the annual magazine published by the American Alpine Club.

Georgia’s Emergency Management Service said the incident on the Shkhelda peak was being studied for details.