Five tourists have died in Siberia after a hovercraft flipped over and capsized in the world's deepest lake. The Russian-made vehicle, believed to be a Sever-750, was travelling through the freezing waters of Lake Baikal with 18 passengers on board when the fatal incident occurred.
Rescue Operation
Thirteen people were rescued from the overcrowded vessel, which was intended for a capacity of ten. Some survivors suffered from hypothermia. Four women and a man were killed in the tragedy, and one survivor was hospitalised with a lacerated leg wound.
Emergency service sources told TASS that the hovercraft was in good working condition before it capsized. Some 30 emergency workers and 11 units of rescue equipment were deployed to the scene, along with a diving team, according to local reports.
Criminal Investigation
Russian sources blamed overcrowding for the incident, and a criminal case has now been opened into the crash. The bodies of the dead tourists, believed to be from the Moscow region, were retrieved from the water, which was around 2 degrees Celsius.
Tour company owner Maria Severgina, 36, wife of politician Sergey Severgin, potentially faces jail due to the alleged overcrowding. She had been nominated as Tourism Minister of Buryatia, a Russian region larger than the UK, bordering Lake Baikal.
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the world's deepest lake, reaching down 5,387 feet. It is the largest freshwater lake by volume on the planet, holding around 20 per cent of the world's unfrozen fresh surface water. The lake freezes over between January and April, featuring exceptionally clear and thick ice that attracts visitors from all over the world. Ice roads on the lake typically operate during the high season between February and March, when the ice becomes thick enough to support heavy vehicles. The tragedy occurred near a beauty spot known as Turtle Rock.
