Authorities in Russia have recovered the bodies of seven Chinese tourists and a Russian driver after their minibus fell through ice into Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest freshwater lake.
One Chinese passenger survived after escaping from the vehicle as it attempted to cross the frozen lake on Friday, Irkutsk regional governor Igor Kobzev said over the weekend.
He later extended his “deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims.”
Russia’s emergencies ministry said the vehicle dropped into a three-metre-wide crevasse in the ice. The lake is approximately 18 metres deep at the accident site. Rescuers deployed underwater cameras before carrying out a diving operation to retrieve the victims.
The regional prosecutor’s office confirmed that a criminal investigation has been launched.
The Irkutsk tourism office reported Saturday that the excursion had been organised by an unregistered tour operator.
Kobzev said the Chinese tourists, including a 14-year-old, had been travelling independently.
“I would like to remind you once again that going out onto Lake Baikal’s ice is not just prohibited right now. It’s mortally dangerous,” he said.
He later remarked that the “tragedy hasn’t taught people a lesson,” noting that authorities had rescued at least six individuals stranded in their cars in two separate incidents on Friday and Saturday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov conveyed condolences to his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, according to a statement published Saturday by the foreign ministry.
In the statement, Lavrov told Wang that Russian officials “are conducting a full investigation” and voiced hope the accident “will not negatively impact the positive dynamics of bilateral tourism”.
Lake Baikal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of Russia’s most prominent tourist destinations. Visitor numbers from China have risen sharply in recent years following closer political ties between the two countries and the declaration of a “no limits” strategic partnership, alongside the introduction of a mutual visa-free travel arrangement.
During winter, tourists are drawn to the vast frozen surface to skate, cycle, hike, drive and ski across the ice and snow-covered landscape.
Often called the “blue eye of Siberia,” Baikal holds about 20 percent of the world’s unfrozen freshwater. Its waters remain exceptionally clear due in part to tiny filter-feeding crustaceans known as epishura.
When fully frozen, visibility beneath the surface can extend up to 40 feet.
The lake is home to more than 2,500 species of plants and animals, with roughly 80 percent found nowhere else on Earth. Among them is the Baikal freshwater seal, a species that has inhabited the landlocked lake for thousands of years despite its distance from any ocean.
Environmental groups, including World Wide Fund for Nature, have warned that Lake Baikal faces mounting threats from pollution, poaching and industrial development. Industrial discharge, mining and agricultural runoff are among the key concerns.
In 2019, an overflowing river near the lake impacted a former pulp and paper mill site, raising fears that stored toxic waste from the Soviet-era facility could seep into the lake’s waters, according to reports at the time.
