Russia recovers bodies of Chinese tourists from ‘mortally dangerous’ Lake Baikal after bus plunges into ice

Authorities in Russia recovered the bodies of seven Chinese tourists and one Russian driver who died after their mini-bus fell into the world’s deepest lake.

One of the Chinese tourists managed to escape from the bus which was crossing the frozen Lake Baikal on Friday, Irkutsk regional governor Igor Kobzev said over the weekend. Mr Kobzev later offered his "deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims".

The bus plunged into a 3m-wide ice crevasse, Russia’s emergencies ministry reported. The lake is 18m deep at the site of the accident, it said. The ministry said rescuers used underwater cameras before embarking on a diving operation.

The regional prosecutor’s office said a criminal probe had been opened. The Irkutsk tourism office reported on Saturday that the bus tour had been run by an unregistered operator.

The governor said all the Chinese tourists, including a 14-year-old, had travelled 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 claimed that the "tragedy hasn't taught people a lesson" as Russian authorities had to rescue at least six people trapped in their carsin two separate incidents on Friday and Saturday.

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov sent condolences to his Chinese counterpart, according to an online statement published on Saturday on the ministry’s website.

According to the statement, Mr Lavrov told Wang Yi that Russian authorities “are conducting a full investigation” and expressed hope that the accident “will not negatively impact the positive dynamics of bilateral tourism".

Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest freshwater lake, is one of Russia’s key tourism attractions. Numbers of Chinese visitors to the country soared in recent years amid political rapprochement between the two neighbours and "no limits" strategic partnership declared last year, while a mutual visa-free travel regime has been introduced.

Chinese tourists flock to the Unesco World Heritage Site this time of year to skate, bike, hike, run, drive, hover and ski over a stark expanse of ice and snow.

Known as the blue eye of Siberia, it is considered one of the natural wonders of the world and holds about 20 per cent of the world's unfrozen freshwater, which is kept crystal clear by tiny, filter-feeding shrimps known as epishura.

In winter, when the lake's surface is frozen, it is possible to see 40ft down into the lake.

Baikal supports more than 2,500 species of animals and plants, and 80 per cent of its animal life is endemic – including the mysterious Baikal freshwater seal which has lived on the land-locked lake for many thousands of years despite being hundreds of miles from the nearest coast.

The lake is currently threatened by “pollution, poaching and development”, per the WWF, which cited industrial pollution, mining activities, and agricultural runoff among the specific threats currently endangering Lake Baikal.

In 2019, an overflowing river in Baikal has affected a former pulp and paper mill close to the lake, prompting fears toxic chemicals could be swept into the pristine freshwaters, The Siberian Times reported at the time. The pollution danger came from untreated waste stored at the facility built in the Soviet era.