Tourist killed and others trapped by huge icicles in Russia during visit to frozen waterfall

Vilyuchinsky rescue operation finishes in Kamchatka

Credit: Russian Emergencies Ministry\TASS via Getty Images

A tourist has died and a child was seriously injured after a huge lump of ice fell from a frozen waterfall in the far east of Russia. 

Four others were trapped under rubble at the Vilyuchinsky waterfall, a popular tourist destination on the volcanic peninsula of Kamchatka, but were saved by rescue workers. 

The falling ice stranded seven visitors and one guide at the attraction on the Pacific coast on Thursday, which is celebrated as Orthodox Christmas in Russia. 

Two adults in the group, a man and a woman, sustained light injuries and were transferred to hospital, officials said.

Rescue workers travelled to the remote scene by helicopter and said they would stay to clear the area, fearing that other travellers could still be buried under the ice.

“Rescuers have not ruled out the possibility that people who had travelled to the location independently could still be trapped under the rubble,” local officials said in a statement.

The 131-foot waterfall is formed from water flowing out from a thawing glacier, which then re-freezes during the winter.

Officials have yet to release the names or nationalities of those killed and injured, but they are likely to be Russian given that the country’s borders remain largely closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Russia has tried to boost domestic tourism during the pandemic, offering cashback this summer to those who opted to travel within the country.

Regional investigators said they were launching a probe into the incident.

Kamchatka, some 4,000 miles and nine time zones east of Moscow, is famed for its rugged landscapes, glaciers and geysers.

But it has recently been the site of other fatalities. Ilya Tsetkov, a 35-year-old mountaineer, died when trying to reach the summit of a giant active volcano on the peninsula this summer. 

The region also hit global headlines in October when hundreds of dead animals washed up on its beaches, either after exposure to deadly algae or toxic chemicals.