Visits to the «Belomorskie petroglyphs» have been suspended in Karelia

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ST. PETERSBURG, July 29. Visits to the Belomorskie Petroglyphs archaeological complex in the Republic of Karelia have been suspended after a temporary isthmus between the locks on the White Sea-Baltic Canal (BBK) washed away during the reconstruction of a wooden dam in Nadvoitsy, the republican petroglyph management center reported on its VKontakte social network page.
“From today until the situation on the White Sea-Baltic Canal stabilizes, all excursion activities and visits to the territory of the World Heritage Site “Petroglyphs of Lake Onega and the White Sea” in the Belomorsky Municipal District have been suspended. We will inform you additionally about returning to normal operating mode,” the center reports.
Earlier, the Minister of Health of Karelia Mikhail Okhlopkov reported the introduction of a high alert regime in the Belomorsky District after the emergency at the BBC. According to him, 10 settlements, including the island part of the city of Belomorsk, could be in the possible flood zone. Okhlopkov specified that tourists have already been evacuated from Zalavruga, where the petroglyphs are located.

The head of Karelia, Artur Parfenchikov, reported that on Monday morning, a temporary isthmus installed for the reconstruction period between the 10th and 11th locks of the Belomorsk Baltic Fleet was washed away. According to the latest data, 10 people were injured, including seven who were rescued, and the search for three is ongoing. The head of the Segezha municipal district, Marina Guseva, reported that a state of emergency has been declared in the district.

The Belomorsk Petroglyphs archaeological complex consists of drawings on rocks and more than 30 ancient human sites. The images are painted or carved on stone and date back to the 4th-3rd millennia BC. The complex is located in the Belomorsk district of Karelia, in the town of Zalavruga. The main subjects of the Zalavruga petroglyphs include images of deer and scenes of hunting for marine animals. Karelian petroglyphs are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.