Posted on 02/21/2026 11:05:03 PM PST by BenLurkin
Russian authorities say divers have recovered the bodies of seven Chinese tourists and a Russian driver who died after their mini-bus plunged under the ice to the bottom of Lake Baikal in Siberia.
Irkutsk regional Governor Igor Kobzev offered his "deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims". He earlier said one Chinese tourist had managed to escape.
The depth at the site of Friday's accident was 18m (59ft), and the divers had to use underwater cameras to search for the bodies.
Baikal - the world's deepest lake with a maximum depth of 1,642m (5,387ft) - is a popular tourist destination. It often freezes during harsh winters and has seen a number of deadly accidents over the years.
...
"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," the governor said, urging tourists to use only official tour operators.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Ice time on the Lower Detroit River brings the prettiest sights anywhere. As shown in some Lake Baikal clips, thick ice over deep, clear water gives a great view of the bottom, and the ice itself is 3-D with intricate,deep cracks, bubbles that look like tunnels, like a fairy land, and constantly shifting water causes cracking noises with bullet-like sounds that you hear fron under you and hundreds of yards away. Reflections, sometimes water over the ice, snow and moonrise or sunrise give views exponentially more variable than any plain body of water, and when ice breaks up and flows the combination of color, reflections, saturated deep blue icebergs or snow covered brilliant white bergs mixed in together,even clouds moving over the mile-wide expanse where I used to live causing moving shadows is breathtaking.
Sorry about sentence structure I’m too lazy to landscape this for typing, can’t see the whole thing at once.
Correct! Among other things:
Baikal - the world's deepest lake with a maximum depth of 1,642m (5,387ft) - is a popular tourist destination. It often freezes over during harsh winters and has seen a number of deadly accidents over the years.What other glaring omissions, distortions, or outright errors did you find?
Regards,
The driver drove out onto the ice?! No thank you!
A good start?
Glorious Sea, Glorious Baikal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7h2jaJeQYc
F... ICE
A start ?
Solo Across Siberia’s Most Dangerous Frozen Lake : Baikal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-RCnv5jhTY
I remember one winter in the 1970s when I was able to ice skate with friends on a small Pennsylvania reservoir and down the iced surface of a long stream coming from it. I didn’t give any dangers a second thought. Ah, the post-teenage decade, when stupidity protects you from fear!
Lived in Hyde Park for a year, used to watch ocean going vessels up and down the Hudson. One of my classmates showed me a picture of his grandfather next to an early model Ford, parked in the middle of the river, off of nearby Poughkeepsie. Made quite an impression on me !
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.