Seven climbers from Bosnia and Herzegovina set out for Elbrus. According to Russian reports, five did not come back. That is a number several families in the region will carry far longer than the story stays on the front pages.

The expedition began on 25 July. During the ascent, at an altitude of around 5,100 metres, two members of the group fell ill. One member descended alone and alerted the rescue services, and rescuers later found another survivor. The two were taken to hospital for medical examination.

The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for Kabardino-Balkaria has opened an investigation. It initially said that, based on the available information, there are fatalities and that the search for the remaining climbers continues.

A mountain that does not forgive improvisation

Elbrus has long had a reputation as an "easy" high peak - technically simpler than many others, which is precisely why it attracts people with less experience than the altitude demands. Above five thousand metres, the air does not ask how prepared you are. The question any investigation like this has to put is who assessed the weather forecast, who decided the group would continue towards the summit, and how much time passed between the first illness and the alert.

Institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina have not yet made a public statement on the case. That is the part that recurs in the Balkans: the event happens abroad, families wait for confirmation, and the responsible authorities stay silent until the information arrives through foreign media. Is that a missing protocol, or a missing willingness?

Organised expeditions to high peaks are a serious industry with their own regulation, insurance and liability. When it turns out that two of seven came back, the answer "the mountain is dangerous" is not enough. Somebody led the group, somebody approved the date, somebody was making the decision at 5,100 metres. Those names and those decisions are what the investigation has to establish.