Avalanche in Buryatia Kills Tourists, Search Continues for Missing Group Member

ULAN-UDE, April 25. /TASS/. Rescuers have recovered the bodies of two more tourists in the mountains of Buryatia — men born in 1988 and 1981, the republic's Civil Defense and Emergencies Agency said. "During further search operations, the bodies of two more victims were discovered: men born in 1988 and 1981. The search for the last member of the group, a man born in 1985, is currently ongoing," the agency reported. According to the regional directorate of Russia's Investigative Committee, the bodies of a guide and a tourist have been found. One of the three tourists who survived the avalanche has been questioned as a witness, the Investigative Committee's regional office added. Access to Mount Munku-Sardyk has been restricted from April 25 to 29 following two consecutive fatal incidents, regional governor Alexey Tsydenov said on his Max channel. "We have decided to restrict access to this area from today through April 29. There have been fatalities and injuries due to the avalanche. Search and rescue operations are currently underway," Tsydenov wrote. Authorities in Buryatia have declared a regional emergency in the area around the mountain, he added. On April 24, reports emerged that a tour group of seven people was caught in an avalanche near Constitution Peak, at one of the mountain passes. Four members of the group were buried under the snow, and three were injured. According to investigators, the group consisted of people who had arrived from the Irkutsk Region. A criminal case has been opened under Part 3 of Article 238 of the Russian Criminal Code for providing services that do not meet safety requirements for the life and health of consumers, resulting in the deaths of two or more people through negligence.