'Winter Tourist Hotspot' Lake Baikal Safety Warnings Ignored...Second Fatal Accident in a Month

Entered No-Access Zone Before the Accident
Bus Sinks After Speeding Over Thin Ice Section
Second Tragedy on Lake Baikal in One Month
Eight Dead, Including a Chinese Couple and Their Child

A vehicle carrying Chinese tourists sank after the ice cracked on Lake Baikal, one of Russia's representative winter tourist destinations, killing eight people.

On the 22nd, foreign media including TASS reported that the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation had recovered eight bodies at the scene of the accident where a minibus traveling on Lake Baikal on the 20th (local time) sank about 18 meters after the ice broke.

Initial investigation found that the vehicle attempted to speed through a cracked section where the ice thickness was insufficient instead of detouring. The vehicle is reported to have rapidly sunk within 2-3 minutes after entering the cracked section, the Irkutsk Regional Investigative Committee said.

The accident occurred in the Olkhon area near Cape Khoboy in Irkutsk Oblast. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations explained that the vehicle fell into an ice hole about 3 meters wide, and that the water depth at the accident site was about 18 meters. There were nine people on board, including a local guide in his 40s and Chinese tourists. Among them, a total of eight people died, including seven Chinese nationals and one Russian driver, while one person miraculously escaped and was rescued. The dead included a 14-year-old teenager, and it was reported that an entire Chinese family, including a couple and their child, was also among the victims.

According to initial investigations, there are indications that the vehicle attempted to accelerate through a cracked section where the ice was not thick enough instead of detouring. The vehicle is reported to have rapidly sunk within 2 to 3 minutes after entering the cracked section. Divers used an underwater camera to locate the sunken vehicle. Local media reported that the deceased guide had borrowed the vehicle from a friend, carried tourists, and entered a no-access zone. The Russian Association of Tour Operators stated that it believes the deceased Chinese tourists booked their tour through local residents instead of going through an official travel agency. In effect, they used an unlicensed guide and were involved in the accident.

Russian authorities are focusing on the possibility that the operator in question conducted the tour program without approval and are investigating whether safety standards were followed and whether there was negligence. An association official stressed, "When touring Lake Baikal, only routes approved by the Ministry of Emergency Situations and local authorities should be used." Earlier, on January 28, there was also an accident on Lake Baikal in which a vehicle carrying Chinese tourists overturned, killing one person. With a similar accident recurring in just over a month, concerns are mounting over the safety management of ice tourism in winter.

On the 20th (local time), a minibus carrying Chinese tourists fell into an ice hole on Lake Baikal in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, killing eight people, TASS reported. The photo shows the sunken accident bus (left) and tourists escaping just before it sank. Photo by Irkutsk Regional Investigative Committee.

Lake Baikal is the deepest freshwater lake in the world, with a maximum depth of 1,642 meters. In winter, tour programs that involve driving vehicles over the frozen lake have become popular. However, critics point out that the thickness of the ice can change rapidly depending on wind and temperature fluctuations, and that it has become even more difficult to predict conditions as winter temperatures have become milder in recent years. The Consulate General of China in Irkutsk urged Chinese travelers after the accident to strictly comply with safety guidelines and refrain from using unofficially operated vehicles.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed his condolences to the Chinese foreign minister and said that Russia would conduct a thorough investigation and report the results to the Chinese side. As the two countries have recently strengthened their relations and introduced a visa-free tourism policy, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Russia has been increasing, further highlighting the need to strengthen tourism safety management.