Five tourists die when hovercraft flips over on Siberian lake which is the deepest in the world

By TARYN KAUR PEDLER, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER and WILL STEWART Published: 13:39, 19 May 2026 | Updated: 13:42, 19 May 2026 Five tourists died in Siberia after a hovercraft flipped over and capsized in the world's deepest lake.  The Russian-made vehicle, believed to be a Sever-750, had been travelling through the freezing waters of Lake Baikal with 18 passengers on board when the fatal incident took place. Thirteen people were rescued from the 'overcrowded' vessel, intended for a capacity of ten, with some suffering from hypothermia. Four women and a man were killed in the tragedy, and one survivor was hospitalised with a lacerated leg wound.    Emergency service sources told TASS that the hovercraft was in good working condition before it capsized. Some 30 emergency workers and 11 units of rescue equipment were deployed to the scene, as well as a diving team, according to local reports.  Russian sources blamed overcrowding for the incident, and a criminal case has now been opened into the crash.   The bodies of the dead tourists - believed to be from the Moscow region - were retrieved from the water, which had been around 2C. The Russian-made vehicle, believed to be a Sever-750, had been travelling through the freezing waters of Lake Baikal with 18 passengers on board when the fatal incident took place Four women and a man were killed in the tragedy, and one survivor was hospitalised with a lacerated leg wound Emergency service sources told TASS that the hovercraft was in good working condition before it capsized Tour company owner Maria Severgina, 36, wife of politician Sergey Severgin, potentially faces jail due to the alleged overcrowding. She had been nominated as Tourism Minister of Buryatia, a Russian region larger than the UK, bordering Lake Baikal. Lake Baikal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the world’s deepest, reaching down 5,387ft. It is the largest freshwater lake by volume on the planet, holding around 20 per cent of the world’s unfrozen fresh surface water. The lake freezes over between January and April, featuring exceptionally clear and thick ice that attracts visitors from all over the world.  Ice roads on the lake typically operate during the high season between February and March, when the ice becomes thick enough to support heavy vehicles.  The tragedy occurred near a beauty spot known as Turtle Rock. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.