Six die climbing Russian volcano as icy winds delay rescue

Six people have died climbing the Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano in Russia.

Six people have died climbing the Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano in Russia's far east and six more are believed to be stranded on Sunday after freezing winds halted a rescue attempt.

The party of twelve, which includes two guides, set off to climb the 4,754-metre (15,597 ft) volcano on Tuesday but ran into trouble on Saturday when some of the group fell to their death at almost 4,200 meters, authorities say.

One person is thought to have a broken leg, authorities said.

Rescuers attempted to reach them on Sunday but had to turn back as severe winds prevented their helicopter from landing.

"They were scheduled to land at an altitude of 3,300 metres, but due to gale force winds at 30 metres per second (67 miles per hour), they failed to do so, although two attempts were made a few hours apart," rescuers said.

Temperatures on the mountain can reach as low as minus 14 degrees Celsius (7 Fahrenheit) overnight.

Tatyana Yukhmanova, a representative from the local civil defence authority, said that rescuers will try to reach the group again tomorrow if weather conditions allow.