We reported that a 40-year-old American man has gone missing in Bayan-Ulgii, the westernmost province of Mongolia after failing to return from climbing on the Altai Tavan Bogd Mountain.

According to ‘Altai Tour’ Travel Company based in Bayan-Ulgii province, the man began climbing the mountain with five other tourists, 180 km north of Tsengel Soum on 18 September. However, he was travelling alone without a guide or travel agency support. Five other tourists from the ‘Altai Tour’ Travel Agency were given permission to climb the Altai Tavan Bogd Mountain. However, it is still not known if the missing man had been given permission or not. According to the rules, tourists must obtain permission at the Border Guards Base in Ulgii, which is the administrative centre; people who come from Ulaanbaatar must get permission from the General Authority for Border Protection in order to climb the Altai Tavan Bogd Mountain. The permission is issued free of charge, but entering to General Authority for Border Protection costs MNT 3000.

According to source, five other tourists failed to find him when they reached the top of the mountain. Then an employee from the travel company informed the National Emergency Management Agency about the missing man at 10.11 pm on 21 September. Currently, nine officers from NEMA with one special vehicle are conducting search and rescue operation on the Altai Tavan Bogd Mountain. NEMA officers have searched 12 km area from Khonog Tokhoi to West Camp.

The stunning Altai Tavan Bogd National Park follows Mongolia’s western border with China and Russia, and is the greatest attraction in the west of the country. This summer it was climbed by many foreign visitors, including the US president’s son and grandson. The Mountain is 185 km from Ulgii province.