STAVROPOL, June 18. /TASS/. A rescue team has launched a search for a US alpinist who was climbing Mount Elbrus in the North Caucasian Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria and did not return to a control point, the republican emergencies services said in a report on Sunday.

"Information came at 08:45 that an alpinist registered in the Elbrus area, a US citizen who was climbing the southern slope of Mount Elbrus, did not return to the control point at the established time," the report says.

As the emergencies services told TASS, the US climber was expected to return to the control point on June 16 but the man did not report about the completion of his route within the designated time and also had no communications means with him.

The rescuers will follow the American climber’s route to rule out the probability of an emergency situation, the emergencies services said.

A team of rescuers of the Elbrus high mountain search and rescue team consisting of 8 persons and one piece of equipment has been dispatched to search for the missing US climber.