The accident happened last Friday afternoon local time, when the minibus was heading to Cape Choboj on the island of Olchon. According to eyewitnesses, the driver quickly tried to “jump” over a three-meter crack in the ice, the server Pěrvyj Bajkalskij reported.
Rescuers, including divers, immediately went to the area. With the help of an underwater camera, they found the dead bodies of the victims at the bottom of the lake at a depth of 18 meters.
The moment of departure under the ice «buns» with Chinese tourists on Baikal. pic.twitter.com/e4Tcje3VgW
— Mr. Pačkovskij (@Q0MT6pFmbVqynsM) February 22, 2026
The northernmost point of Olchon is a popular destination for tourists mainly because of the steep rocks there. The governor of the Irkutsk region, Igor Kobzev, however, reminded that the ice passage to the island of Olkhon has not yet been made accessible due to numerous cracks in the ice.
In addition, the participants of the trip booked the trip with an unregistered travel agency. The police therefore initiated criminal proceedings.
Baikal is the deepest freshwater lake in the world and one of Russia’s main natural tourist attractions. Recently, when Moscow and Beijing introduced visa-free relations with each other, the number of visitors coming to Russia from China has increased significantly.
Baikal cursed after being licked by Shaman?
Two cars fell under the ice on the lake at once
A woman and a child were in one car, four tourists were in the other.
The day before, UAZ sank with Chinese tourists. As a result, seven people died, including a child
@nexta_live pic.twitter.com/Yrm5yh0lB6
— Igor Vice-blogger (@Igor12066848) February 21, 2026
Moscow is thereby compensating for the decrease in tourists from Europe after the EU cut off direct air connections with Russia as part of the sanctions.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed his condolences to his Chinese counterpart Wang I, according to a statement on the office’s website. He also expressed the hope that the accident will not negatively affect the positive dynamics of mutual tourism.
