German climber missing in Kirghizia

Kirghiz rescuers are busy searching for the German mountain climber Werner Maul who was reported missing when trying to ascend the Lenin peak. A special mobile rescue battalion of the ministry for ecology and emergency situations, is involved, reports the ministry.

One of the Kirghiz tracking companies was responsible for experienced Werner Maul's preparations for the ascent. When the climber failed to return to a starting camp on July 17, rescuers set out on a vain search.

Kighizia's foreign minister Askar Aitmatov applied to the minister for ecology and emergency situations, Satyvaldy Chyrmashev, to help in the search for the lost climber.

According to experts, the Lenin peak over 7,000 metres high over the sea level is one of the most inaccessible summits because of invariably unfavourable weather conditions and an extremely complicated route. Since the peak's initial conquest, dozens of mountaineers from different countries have given their lives on the way toward it.