5 mountain climbers die on Russia's Mount Elbrus, Europe's highest peak

Moscow — Five climbers died after a blizzard on Mount Elbrus, Russia's emergencies ministry said Friday, in one of the worst tragedies in recent years on Europe's highest peak.

Elbrus, a dormant volcano in Russia's North Caucasus region, is the highest mountain in Europe at 18,510 feet and is seeing a domestic tourist boom due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Thursday's incident struck when the weather turned on a group of climbers at an altitude of over 16,000 feet.