Shishapangma, Attempt and Tragedy. An expedition from the Ukraine led by Ivan Valenya planned to make ascents of Cho Oyu and Shishapangma but owing to organization difficulties got stuck in Kathmandu for 21 days and started climbing Shishapangma by the classical route only at the beginning of October. At 1 p.m. on October 5, its participants Viktor Pastukh and Gennadi Vasilenko reported by radio from an altitude of about 6700 meters that they were looking for a way down. There was no visibility and it was snowing. They were never seen by anyone. Evidently, they were hit by an avalanche at an altitude of about 6300 meters and perished.

Vladimir Shataev, Russian Mountaineering Federation