The Investigative Department for the Komi Republic of the Russian Federation is conducting a preliminary investigation into the death of two tourists in the Circumpolar Urals. “As part of the verification measures, investigators will establish the causes and circumstances of the incident and give them a legal assessment,” the department noted.
The tragedy occurred on Saturday, March 23, in the Yugyd Va National Park. A group of three tourists went along the route on two snowmobiles and got caught in an avalanche in the area of Muzhiki Pass. One person managed to escape. He managed to get to the camp and report the incident to the rescuers. On the morning of March 24, the specialists of the organization “Spas-Komi” moved to the place.
According to local media, two people were killed – a resident of the city of Pechora and a famous photographer from Kurgan Sergey Pashnov. He traveled annually to the Circumpolar Urals in early spring, this trip was the tenth anniversary. Pashnov arrived on the expedition, accompanying a group of Kurgan schoolchildren from the club of young tourists “School of Survival”.
It is noteworthy that a week ago the management of Yugyd Va warned that a dangerous situation had developed in the central part of the national park due to the significant accumulation of snow masses as a result of snowfalls and temperature fluctuations. “Given the forecast for the coming week, which promises positive temperatures and continued snowfall, the avalanche danger will continue and may even increase in the coming week,” the national park said, and all groups passing along the routes were advised to be as careful as possible, avoid avalanche–prone slopes, ravines and high river banks.
The previous tragedy in Yugyd Va occurred in 2021. Then, in the area of Saber Mountain, an avalanche descended on three tourists on snowmobiles, two men became victims. After this incident, permits to visit the national park on snowmobiles were stopped for a while.
On Monday, March 18, an avalanche covered a group of tourists who were doing a ski tour in Yelizovsky district in Kamchatka. Two people were killed.
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