Final preparations are currently underway to repatriate the three Latvian mountaineers who died on Denali in Alaska, as well as injured climber Mārtiņš Bilzēns, to Latvia as soon as possible, the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the LETA news agency.
According to ministry spokesperson Diāna Eglīte, the Latvian Embassy in the United States is actively involved in and overseeing the repatriation process. Due to administrative procedures required by the competent authorities in Alaska, preparing the necessary documentation takes several weeks.
Bilzēns, the sole survivor who was seriously injured in the accident, remains hospitalized in Alaska, although his condition has improved. The embassy is maintaining regular contact with both the hospital and his family while assisting with preparations for his return to Latvia.
Bilzēns’ relatives have appealed for public donations to help cover the costs of his medical transportation back to Latvia. Since 11 June, more than €112,000 has been raised through the charitable platform Ziedot.lv.
As previously reported, three Latvian climbers—Inese Pučeka, Vija Olte, and Renārs Kunigs-Salaks—lost their lives in late May after falling down a steep slope on Denali, the highest mountain in North America. Another expedition member, Mārtiņš Bilzēns, was airlifted in critical condition to a hospital in Anchorage.
The remaining three members of the expedition—Puriņš, Edgars Madžulis, and Guntis Svariņš—were evacuated from the mountain by rescue teams. Two of them suffered frostbite.
According to information provided by the Latvian Embassy in the United States, the bodies of the three deceased climbers were recovered from Denali during the night of 4 June (Latvian time).
The U.S. National Park Service said the fatal accident occurred on the section of the route between High Camp and Denali Pass, beginning near Denali Pass at an elevation of approximately 18,200 feet (5,545 metres).
The National Park Service reported that two separate rescue incidents occurred that day. In the first incident, two climbers were evacuated from the mountain at around 11 p.m. local time. Authorities later clarified that this event was unrelated to the Latvian expedition.
Around midnight, park rangers received a second emergency call reporting that four members of a seven-person Latvian climbing team had fallen near Denali Pass. Three climbers managed to return to High Camp after assisting their fallen teammates.
The Latvian expedition had been scheduled to take place from 10 May to 11 June, with the goal of reaching the 6,190-metre summit of Denali, the highest peak in North America.
Before the expedition, the climbers emphasized that the greatest challenge would not be the altitude itself but the extreme Arctic conditions. The team expected temperatures as low as –30°C, severe storms, and more than three weeks of living in tents on snow while carrying 25-kilogram backpacks and pulling 25-kilogram sleds.
Several members of the expedition, including Puriņš, Madžulis, and the late Inese Pučeka, had previously participated in two Latvian Alpine Club expeditions, successfully summiting Avicenna Peak (7,134 m), Ozodi Peak (7,105 m) and Somoni Peak (7,495 m). They had also completed the first recorded ascent of an almost 6,000-metre peak in the Mindzhar Valley of the Pamir Mountains, gaining extensive high-altitude climbing experience.
The expedition organizers also noted that the remaining members—including the late Vija Olte, Renārs Kunigs-Salaks, as well as Mārtiņš Bilzēns, Zeimulis, and Guntis Svariņš—all possessed the necessary experience for high-altitude expeditions.
Located just 390 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle, Denali is accessible only by aircraft capable of landing directly on the Kahiltna Glacier, where the climbing route begins at an elevation of around 2,200 metres. Following heavy snowfall, all climbers at the base camp help compact the snow to ensure aircraft can land and take off safely.
The expedition required participants to overcome nearly 4,000 metres of elevation gain while covering approximately 100 kilometres, with most sections of the route traversed multiple times to transport equipment and food supplies sufficient for a 25-day expedition.
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