More is not better: an airboat with tourists capsized on Lake Baikal

On Tuesday, May 19, it became known about the capsizing of an airboat on Lake Baikal. As a result of the tragedy, five tourists died. The injured were examined by doctors. The preliminary cause of the incident could be an excess of the permissible number of passengers on board. The Investigative Committee has already initiated a criminal case on the provision of services that do not meet the requirements for the safety of life and health of consumers. The details of the incident are in the Izvestia article.

Boat capsizing: victims and injured

On May 19, on Lake Baikal in the area of Turtle Rock near the village of Turka in the Baikal region of the Republic of Buryatia, the Sever 750 airboat capsized. This is reported in the MAX channel of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Buryatia. According to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, the Khivus boat capsized.

According to the latest information, there were 18 people on board, 13 of them were rescued, including a child. One woman received a laceration to her leg and was hospitalized in a medical facility.

Initially, it was reported that four people were missing, and searches were underway for them. Later it became known about the death of five passengers.

All the tourists on board were from the Moscow region.

Criminal case, rescue work on Lake Baikal

The investigative authorities of the Eastern District Court of the Investigative Committee of Russia have already opened a criminal case on the grounds of a crime under Part 3 of Article 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("provision of services that do not meet the requirements for the safety of life and health of consumers, resulting in the death of more than two persons by negligence").

"During the investigation, it was established that today in the Baikal region of the Republic of Buryatia, while providing services on Lake Baikal, the Khivus boat capsized, as a result of which those on the ship ended up in the water. Ten people got ashore on their own, and they are receiving medical assistance," the Investigative Committee said in a statement.

The regional Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that after the incident, the airboat was pulled up to the shore. In addition, a diving group of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations was sent to the accident site, and 30 people and 11 pieces of equipment are also working there.

The Investigative Committee reported that investigators and criminologists are conducting an inspection of the scene and incident and investigative actions aimed at eliminating the circumstances of the incident. A complex of forensic examinations was also appointed.

In the unified duty and dispatch service of the Baikal region of Buryatia, RIA Novosti was informed that the bodies of the victims had already been lifted from the lake water.

A transport prosecutor also went to the scene of the incident.

The reasons for the incident

According to TASS in the operational services, the preliminary reason for the capsizing of the airboat on Lake Baikal was the excess of the permissible number of passengers on board.

"According to preliminary data, the boat was overloaded because there were more people on board than allowed by the rules of operation of this vessel," the agency's source said.

According to the tour operator, the Khivus can accommodate 10-11 people, and the Sever airboats can accommodate 18. However, the manufacturer's website reports that the capacity of the Sever 750 cabin is also 10 people.

The UAZ went under water

Today's tragedy is not the first on Lake Baikal in recent months. On February 20, in the area of Cape Sagan-Khushun, a UAZ (loaf) car fell through a crack in the lake and began to rapidly sink under water. At that time, it was reported that a group of tourists was heading for an excursion to Cape Three Brothers, moving on ice outside the official ferry to Olkhon, which remained closed at the time of the incident due to the unstable state of the ice. Despite the current ban, drivers continued to drive onto the ice outside the equipped crossing, risking their own safety and the lives of passengers.

The victims of the tragedy were the driver of the car, as well as seven tourists from China. One tourist escaped.