The number of people who died in an accident while climbing Eurasia's tallest active volcano has risen to eight, Russian authorities said Monday.

A helicopter with a rescue team was on the way to the site of the accident, emergency officials said.

Russian media initially reported on Saturday that five climbers died while trying to ascend to the top of the Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano in Russia's far eastern Kamchatka peninsula. The accident occurred about 500 meters below the 4,750-meter (15,884-foot) summit, the reports cited the prosecutor's office of the Kamchatka region as saying.

All the climbers were Russians, the reports said.

Four people survived the accident and were waiting for the rescuers at different altitudes. One person is thought to have a broken leg, Reuters reported, citing officials.

Reuters reported that freezing winds halted an initial rescue attempt on the mountain where temperatures can reach as low as 7 degrees Fahrenheit overnight.

Last year, the volcano erupted on its northwestern slope, seeping lava and ejecting volcanic bombs.

The Kamchatka peninsula in Russia's far northeast is noted for its array of active and dormant volcanos, hot springs and abundant wildlife.

The incident marks the latest in a recent string of climbing accidents involving volcanoes around the world.

Last month, three mountaineers died and 12 were injured after they fell while climbing Ecuador's Carihuairazo volcano. In June, a woman died and a climbing companion was injured when they scaled the highly active, off-limits peak of the Popocatepetl volcano in Mexico.

In July, an American tourist had to be rescued on Mount Vesuvius near Naples after he apparently slipped into the Italian volcano's crater while trying to recover his fallen cell phone.

Source