Bosnia prepares collective funeral for five Elbrus climbers

On 25 July a Bosnian mountaineering expedition on Mount Elbrus in Russia ended in tragedy when five climbers – Meliha Čaušević, Alma Okanović, Denis Okanović, Almir Krivdić and Nermin Talam – lost their lives.

Two members of the Zenica rescue team, Haris Adilović and Kenan Vidimlić, survived with minor frost‑bite and are receiving psychological support.

The bodies remain in Moscow. Authorities plan to fly them to Belgrade and then transport them to Zenica, where a collective burial will be held at the city cemetery. The day of the funeral will be declared a day of mourning in Zenica and across the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Federation government has allocated 70,000 KM and dispatched special civil‑protection vehicles. Officials from the Bosnian rescue service, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and local authorities are coordinating the repatriation and commemoration.