FIVE tourists have died after a giant hovercraft flipped over and crashed, plunging travellers into the ice-cold waters of the world’s deepest lake.
Four women and a man were killed in the tragedy, with survivors of the horrific ordeal reportedly including a 14-year-old.
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Five tourists were killed when an ‘overcrowded’ hovercraft flipped over and crashed on Lake Baikal Credit: East2West
Russian sources blamed overcrowding for the accident Credit: East2West
Thirteen people were rescued from the craft, some suffering from hypothermia in the freezing waters of Lake Baikal in Siberia.
One survivor was hospitalised with severe cuts to their leg.
Russian sources blamed overcrowding for the accident, with 18 people crammed on the hovercraft that was meant to only carry ten.
Emergency services told Russian news agency TASS that the craft was “in good working condition” before the accident.
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Lake Baikal is the world’s deepest freshwater lake – reaching depths of more than 5,000 ft.
The water temperature was around 2°C as the holidaymakers were thrown in.
The bodies of the dead tourists – thought to be from the Moscow region – were retrieved from the water.
A criminal investigation has been opened into the crash of the Russian-made hovercraft, thought to be a Sever-750.
The water temperature was around 2°C as the holidaymakers were thrown in Credit: East2West
The bodies of the dead tourists – thought to be from the Moscow region – were retrieved from the water Credit: East2West
The tragedy occurred near a beauty spot known as Turtle Rock.
In December, a relative of Russian president Vladimir Putin was injured in a separate hovercraft crash that killed an influential crime boss.
Putin’s pal, a university friend who married the tyrant’s cousin, miraculously survived the bizarre hovercraft accident.
Putin’s cousin’s husband, Viktor Khmarin, swam through icy waters to safety.
One survivor was hospitalised with severe cuts to their leg Credit: East2West
Emergency services told Russian news agency TASS that the craft was ‘in good working condition’ before the accident Credit: East2West
Dramatic footage showed the vessel skidding, smashing into ice, and being flipped upside-down.
It was unclear from the video why the hovercraft suddenly lurched and overturned after going under a bridge.
The 76-year-old suffered from exposure after the crash on December 21.
Viktor Averin, 68, second-in-command of the notorious Solntsevskaya crime gang, was killed in the crash.
Four others were onboard the hovercraft as it capsized near a yacht club outside Moscow.
One of the other passengers was an 18-year-old OnlyFans model, who crawled over thin ice to survive, reports said.
