8 People Dead, Including a Child, After Tourist Bus Plunges into Icy Waters of World’s Deepest Lake

At least eight people, including a child, died after a tourist bus broke through the ice on Lake Baikal in Russia.

On Feb. 20, a bus carrying a driver and seven Chinese tourists fell through the frozen surface and became trapped in the lake. Irkutsk regional governor Igor Kobzev said the crack in the ice was about 3 meters wide, and the water at that location was roughly 18 meters deep.

Rescue teams used underwater cameras to locate the vehicle. They initially identified five victims, including the driver, a 44-year-old local resident, and four tourists. Among the tourists were a married couple, their 14-year-old child, and a female relative. One person survived.

Kobzev warned that traveling on the ice is currently extremely dangerous. He urged visitors to use only licensed tour operators and announced investigations into illegal tourism services.

The next day, divers recovered the bodies of eight victims — the driver and seven Chinese citizens. Kobzev also noted that another vehicle was found trapped in the ice just 5 kilometers from shore. In a separate incident on Feb. 21, four vacationers were rescued after their vehicle partially sank.

Officials emphasized that the official ice road on Lake Baikal is not open. Kobzev cautioned travelers to think carefully before attempting to drive on the frozen lake, stating that such decisions can have fatal consequences.

Following the incident, authorities reported that the bus tour had been operated by an unregistered company. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed condolences to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and confirmed that a full investigation is underway.