A 47-year-old mountaineer from Iran has died while descending from Mount Ararat in southeast Turkey. Ekber Helil and his team had made a successful ascent of the 5,137-metre-high summit, which is situated near the city of Ağrı. He reportedly slipped and fell during the perilous descent.
After hearing the news of Helil’s death, the gendarmerie, the National Medical Rescue Team (UMKE), the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) as well as fire brigade teams went to the 3,200-metre-high campsite at about midday. A helicopter came from Van (Wan) to assist them in retrieving the body, which is at 4,300 meters. However, it was eventually decided that it would not be possible to retrieve the body because of dangerously bad weather. There is a heightened risk of avalanche and falling rocks due to snow melting rapidly in the area.
Mount Ararat is an extinct volcano and is a popular destination for climbers. It is considered a sacred mountain by many Armenians, and it is the place where Noah’s Ark is said to have landed in the Old Testament after the Biblical flood. A Persian legend refers to Ararat as the cradle of humanity.
