Skiers, snowboarders and mountaineers are being cautioned not to travel to Russia's Mt. Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe, because of the presence of terrorists who are being blamed for the shooting deaths of three Moscow tourists last Friday at a popular Elbrus ski resort in the North Caucasus region.
The attack reportedly involved masked Islamic separatists who blew up a cable car pylon, causing gondola cars to plummet to the snow. Nobody was hurt in that incident. The slain tourists were shot as they traveled in a small bus.
Since then, deadly clashes between government troops and militants have occurred, and on Wednesday air strikes and mortar bombings were carried out with unknown results, according to the Moscow Times. Also, a large shelter stocked with explosives and firearms was discovered on the slopes of Elbrus.
About 5,000 people visit Elbrus annually. As Europe's highest mountain (18,510 feet), it's popular among climbers during the spring and summer.
A top Russian official reportedly has demanded that tourists be banned from Elbrus until anti-terrorist operations are complete.
All of this has to be unsettling to those planning for the 2014 Winter Olympics at Sochi, which is not terribly far from the troubled area.
-- Pete Thomas
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