The tragedy of Karelia killed 14 children. “Take me from hell”: the deaths of children in Karelia were preceded by outrages

In Karelia, children died this night on Syamozero. The boats on which they were leaving the camp for an excursion capsized. It is now reported that rescuers have recovered the bodies of 14 people. 36 were saved. Who made the decision to go rafting and why they didn’t warn anyone about it - the prosecutor’s office is now finding out. The camp director, his deputy and two instructors were detained.

Why the children ended up on the water at night, in bad weather, whether they had life jackets - there are no answers to all these questions yet. There is only a tragic outcome.

“There were 47 children and four adult instructors on the boats. During the trip to the lake, the boats capsized and sank. As part of the criminal investigation, a legal assessment will be given to the actions of the children’s camp employees and other responsible persons for organizing children’s boating in bad weather conditions,” the Investigative Committee reports.

The weather on the Karelian lakes can change in a matter of minutes - weather forecasters say this may be the case this time too. The wind can raise a high wave, and small boats, of course, cannot cope with it. And in icy water there is little chance of salvation. By evening we managed to find the last survivor.

At a conference call, the Ministry of Emergency Situations announced the completion of the rescue operation.

“Meals are organized, replacement clothes are available. We are ready to meet the parents. Places to accommodate parents are also available. All health camps in the Republic of Karelia are also being inspected together with the prosecutor’s office,” said Igor Panin, head of the North-West Regional Center of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.

According to news agencies, a twelve-year-old girl told about the tragedy; she was in one of the boats. Having difficulty reaching the shore, she lost consciousness. When I woke up the next morning, I reached the nearest village - local residents called rescuers and doctors. Employees of a nearby camp site also looked for the children - their boat turned out to be large enough to go out in a storm.

“They went searching, and after half an hour, they probably found them on the island, five kilometers away from us, they found three or four children. In general, the children, they were hidden from the wind, it was not so easy to find them. They were lying there under cellophane, they were even in such hibernation, because they had to be woken up, they were freezing, apparently. And on the same island they found another child, no longer alive. We drove on, and began driving further along the coast, looking at other islands, and also found several children who spent the night alone, in this element, in this crazy wind, in this cold. As a result, 11 children were found. There are 11 children and one instructor,” said the head of the tourist base, Natalya Stolyarova.

The rescued children were taken to the bathhouse and fed - they spent the whole night in the icy wind.

Currently, five children injured as a result of the storm on Syamozero are hospitalized in hospitals in the Republic of Karelia. Everyone receives the necessary medical care. The reasons for hospitalization are hypothermia, minor injuries, stress.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations has opened a hotline. By calling 8-800-775-17-17 you can get information about the dead and injured, as well as consultation with psychologists. Most of the participants in the hike are Moscow schoolchildren. The capital's authorities have already expressed condolences to the families of the victims and promised to provide any assistance.

“These are children from orphanages, from low-income families and from large families, that is, children were represented from different categories of families. The city will take all measures to support families,” said Vladimir Petrosyan, head of the Moscow Department of Labor and Social Protection.

In addition, all camps where children from Moscow vacation are now subject to inspection. “An instruction has been given to additionally check the safety of the resting places of Moscow children,” the mayor of the capital, Sergei Sobyanin, said on Twitter.

The Karelian camp under the loud name “Park Hotel Syamozero”, as it now turns out, had, to put it mildly, not the best reputation. The local newspaper “Our Life” wrote about the conditions there a year ago - the journalists cited the story of one of the parents:

“Immediately after their arrival, the unprepared children were sent on a two-day hike, which included rafting and spending the night in the forest. The guys slept in wet tents and on wet sleeping bags. Girls aged 12-13 were forced to cook food over a fire and wash cauldrons, while the counselors slept in tents. During the rafting, the leader shouted at the children “row, bitches,” and smoked right in the raft, and at the rest stop he forced the girls to open cans with a stone.”

Parents spoke extremely negatively about what was happening at the Ranger School on Syamozero

Every year at the beginning of June, parents, sending their children to summer camps, hikes and extreme travel, then shake in horror for several weeks.

They are afraid not only because children aged 10–15 years old strive to get involved in some kind of emergency. This is in the nature of a teenager.

They are also afraid because fully grown people - so old that they were entrusted with other people's children - behave worse than unreasonable teenagers. Putting both their lives and (the saddest thing) the lives of their students at risk.

Yesterday's terrible tragedy on the Karelian reservoir Syamozero is far from the first. Six years ago, on the Yeisk Spit in the Sea of ​​Azov, six children from Moscow, who were under the supervision of the same “responsible” adults, died while swimming. While the children were drowning in salt water, the counselors were peacefully drinking beer. The head teacher of the school and the geography teacher who were responsible for the children were then sentenced to 4 and 2.5 years in prison. Those responsible for the Karelian disaster will most likely receive more - such, alas, is the scale of the tragedy.

Well, what about the other adults who were lucky this time - the time of their trip did not coincide “by chance” with strong wind, rain, thunderstorm - what about them? Will they draw any conclusions? Will they finally remember that with children they need to double-check everything ten times? That any risk (and you can’t do without risk on a camping trip) should be kept to a minimum. Only such adults can take responsibility for those “under 16.”

Otherwise, we will have to mourn our children every summer.

Bad weather on the “weather lake”

Syamozero, 89 kilometers west of the capital of Karelia, Petrozavodsk, is a large oval-shaped body of water with dimensions of approximately 25 by 15 km. Even in slightly cloudy weather, like the sea, you cannot see the opposite shore. The name of the reservoir has two origins. Perhaps Syamozero is just a lake of the Sami: everything is simple here, representatives of this ancient people settled along the shores. But in the Karelian language, Syamozero is literally translated as “weather lake”. Apparently, those who once discovered it were most struck by the weather on the lake.

The places around Syamozero are the most beautiful. If you need to photograph Russian northern nature, you should come here, and you don’t need to look for anything else. No wonder Syamozero became famous in two masterpieces of Soviet cinema: “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” and “Cold Summer of ’53.”

Now Syamozero will have a completely different reputation. Scary.

Several programs for teenagers were planned for this June at the children's youth camp: “Pomor” (for children 12–13 years old) and “Robinson” (for children 14–15 years old) as part of the “Ranger School 2016”. Among the disciplines that schoolchildren had to study were water safety, extreme swimming, the basics of rescue work, first aid on the water....

Perhaps the guys even managed to learn something: after all, their shift began on June 3, and an inspection of uninhabited islands was scheduled for the last weekend (the shift ended on June 23). But they were clearly not told how to save themselves in a storm.

The tragedy on Syamozero became known only on Sunday afternoon, and the disaster itself occurred on Saturday. As it turned out, a tour group of 49 people, including mostly children aged 11–15 years old, went out onto the lake in two boats and one raft. This was a planned lesson that is carried out with all pupils of this camp. By the way, the camp management decided to go out by boat, despite the storm warning.

As a result, a strong storm began at about 16.30, the boats could not withstand the gusts of wind and capsized. There were 26 people on board at the time, including two adults accompanying the group.

The emergency occurred near the islands scattered around the lake. It was to them that the children caught in the icy water were trying to get to them. As a result, 11 teenagers were able to swim to the islands.

As the camp pupils said, the path to land was not easy. Some of them spent 4 hours in cold water. The storm was so strong that the children were simply “dangling” around the lake.

There were such waves on Syamozero on the eve of the tragedy. Photo: instagram/makhnina

Most likely, there would have been even more victims of the tragedy if not for a 14-year-old Muscovite who was washed ashore in the village of Kudama. The girl lay unconscious all evening and night, waking up only on Sunday morning. It was she who reached the nearest houses of the village and reported the tragedy to the rescue services.

However, the first to come to the aid of the children were the employees of the Kudama dog kennel. Without waiting for the Emergencies Ministry employees, they were the first to go to the islands, where the teenagers spent the whole night. The owner of the dog kennel, Natalya Stolyarova, said that the kennel staff managed to save 11 children who spent the night on one of the islands after the crash. According to the woman, they were all very cold and the minutes were counting; some of the children had difficulty waking up. The nursery staff also pulled the bodies of drowned people out of the water...

According to the latest data, 14 people became victims of the tragedy: 13 children (all of them were from Moscow) and one adult. Most of the victims grew up in low-income families. Among them there is one orphan and one child who was under guardianship.

The five children who were rescued were hospitalized in hospitals in the Republic of Karelia. All were diagnosed with hypothermia, injuries, and stress.

The Investigative Committee of Russia opened a criminal case under the article of the Criminal Code “Performance of work or provision of services that do not meet safety requirements.” One of the instructors was also detained on Sunday. On the same day, investigators began working with him. In the Syamozero park hotel itself, investigative measures are taking place, documentation is being confiscated, and interrogations are being conducted.

"Take me from this hell"

The Syamozero park hotel itself belongs to the Karelian travel company Karelia Open. The general director is Elena Reshetova, a former Komsomol worker. They bought this base and organized it together with their husband. Reshetova’s husband died three years ago: he was hit by a car.

Domestic tourism today is a fixed idea for us, so you can guess how much demand there was for extreme recreation in the most beautiful corner of the country. For teenagers, living in a tent, river rafting, hiking - what else can you dream of? Moreover, the advertising of “Syamozer” on the websites looked very tempting.

But all that glitters is not gold. Here, for example, is what we read in one of the online communities.

REVIEWS ABOUT THE CAMP

“...the children in the canteen do not eat enough, they sell food to each other... The counselor and the instructor are two for 50 people...”

“...if a child gets sick, at best they will put drops in the nose once a day, it’s just that the doctor doesn’t have time to serve everyone, there’s a queue for him - like a museum...”

“...yesterday I took my son from there. The child cried and asked: take me away from this hell!..”

“...my daughter constantly complains about endless hikes, where there is no normal diet, and there is nowhere to take a shower. The person accompanying him on a hike can be drunk - once he was removed by the sudden arrival of the parents of one of the girls!..”

And such a dubious pleasure - for 31,500 rubles (that’s how much the ticket cost)?!

Of course, there are always dissatisfied people, and one could brush aside these reviews. Again, on the Karelia Open website there is a long list of thanks, certificates and prizes. And there are more than enough positive reviews. Vika, a student at Lyceum No. 40 in Petrozavodsk, says:

I went to Syamozero five times in a row - the last time was last year. I really like it there. Yes, there are quite a lot of water trips, but they were all well organized. We never swam far from the shore, all the routes ran along the shore and were limited by buoys, we all always wore life jackets... Yes, there was once a case, the raft almost capsized - it’s just that on one side the rowing was much stronger than on the other side another... But it happened not far from the shore and ended in a slight fright.

Yes, there are a lot of violations there... A long time ago it was necessary to send a commission and close this damn camp.

- If possible, be more specific...

More specifically? There weren't enough vests. Sometimes 2-3 vests were allocated per squad (note that, according to local residents, all the dead children were wearing life jackets. - Note auto). Emergency situations have happened here before too. Last year, a group of teenagers escaped from the camp to the village of Essoila, which is located 9 km from Syamozero. I think five guys ran away. They left - no one even looked for them, because no one took care of the children. Only in the evening did they come to their senses.

There are many high officials on the territory, rescuers from Moscow and St. Petersburg arrived. But no changes to the shift schedule are expected. The first shift ends on June 23, and then all the guys will be taken back to Moscow. No one will be taken out before this date.

Those parents whose children were at Syamozero before also speak about the carelessness of the counselors.

The cause of the tragedy is clearly the criminal neglect of safety precautions and common sense by the organizers of children's hikes. During their shift, they went on hikes four times lasting 3-4 days, despite the weather conditions - up to 6 degrees Celsius at night, north wind, rain! - Tatiana from Petrozavodsk told, whose daughter vacationed at the Park Hotel Syamozero camp last year from June 25 to July 15. - I don’t understand why the organizers didn’t reschedule or postpone these hikes!

In fact, the current tragedy on the water occurred precisely under such weather conditions. In other children's camps, the sharp change in Karelian weather that occurred from June 17 to 18 did not cause any problems.

Large lakes and weather in Karelia can sometimes be unpredictable, and the waves on reservoirs like Syamozero can be huge. To be honest, I wouldn’t risk crossing such a body of water by boat! - a famous traveler and ideologist of children’s tourism told MK Matvey SHPARO, organizer of the “Big Adventure” children's camp in Karelia. - We knew about the storm - although our camp is located four hundred kilometers from Syamozero, we also experienced thunderstorms with strong winds. Of course, you may not know about such weather in advance - a detailed forecast still happens for three days, and groups can go on a hike for a week or more (in the case of the death of children, this was not the case - they went on a hike on June 18, when it was already bad weather is known - Note auto). But even in this case, competent instructors lead groups without losses or problems, if the route has been studied and planned. It is enough to drive the boats no further than a few tens of meters from the coastline, and then if the weather changes, they will always be able to approach the shore and wait out the bad weather.

In general, Karelian reservoirs are known for their difficult character; storms are common there. And all because of the proximity to the northern part of the Atlantic and the rather uneven, rugged terrain. The numerous islands on the Karelian lakes (some have more than a hundred) are called mini-fjords by some. All this, of course, is reflected in the wind regime: when faced with obstacles, the wind often changes its direction, intensifying the storm effect. On Syamozero, which has the same tectonic origin as all its other brothers, on an area of ​​almost 50 square meters. km, there are 80 islands. This is one of the largest lakes in Karelia.

Over the weekend, a storm really broke out on Syamozero, in which the waves could reach 1–3 meters,” a meteorologist at the Phobos Weather Center comments on the situation. Evgeniy TISHKOVETS. “It’s hard to say why people made this decision to go to the lake with their children on the eve of bad weather.” Maybe they didn't take the weather forecast into account?

Was he there?

Certainly. The situation was absolutely predictable: after all, just on Saturday, storm winds hit St. Petersburg at a speed of 24 m/s, trees felled, cars overturned. All this was moving towards Karelia.

Such storms, according to Tishkovets, are typical for the north-west of our country. It is there at this time of year that the North Atlantic cyclones most often direct all their power. On the largest Lake Ladoga, waves can reach 6 meters, in the Gulf of Finland - 2.5 meters. On Syamozero, apparently, less tall people were enough for the tragedy...

It is difficult to expect a serious approach to events from a camp with such reviews as they write about “Syamozero” - all children’s outings, including open water, were clearly carried out at random. This is what a safe water trip should look like, according to Matvey Shparo:

Each of our trips is compiled by a route and qualification commission, which constantly keeps in touch with the group. Each trip is coordinated with the local regional Ministry of Emergency Situations - they always know how many people went and where they went. And in the camp our own rapid response team is in constant readiness - they are always ready to go to the rescue in cars and motor boats. The Ministry of Emergency Situations, of course, works great, but from our camp to the nearest regional center is about a hundred kilometers, a distance is a distance... While they get there, we ourselves are ready to take the necessary measures!

According to the latest information, the camp itself did not have all the necessary documents, although it officially won the tender for organizing children's recreation. Elena Reshetova also named those teachers who authorized the dangerous voyage along Syamozero - Vadim Vinogradov, Lyudmila Vasilyeva (she was initially considered dead, but then it turned out that the girl was saved), Regina Ivanova and Valery Krupoderschikov. Moreover, Vinogradov was considered a real extreme sportsman: he went out on the water route more than once during a storm. “The soul of the company, he participated in KVN more than once, a dashing guy,” they say about him to a colleague. Valera, on the contrary, is a completely inexperienced counselor and has only recently been working with children.

This whole story is a little reminiscent of the plotline of the hit movie of recent years - the film “The Geographer Drank the Globe Away” based on the novel by the writer Ivanov. There, the teacher (in the movie - Konstantin Khabensky) goes on a hike with the schoolchildren, frivolously leaves them in the forest, after which, by some miracle, they independently overcome the most difficult river rapids in a boat. The movie had a happy ending - everyone survived. Perhaps the counselors from Syamozero watched this film and thought: are we worse? Only in life everything is harsher and more tragic than in the movies. But for some reason adults don’t understand this.

Tragedy on Syamozero in Karelia, 15 children died

Tragedy in Karelia. A children's camp based at the Syamozero park hotel organized a water crossing in the area of ​​the village of Syargilakhta. On June 19, news arrived that a storm had capsized one of the boats. As a result, 14 people drowned, 13 of whom were teenagers.

The picture of the tragedy on Syamozero is gradually emerging. One of the main reasons for what happened was bad weather. There are still very strong winds and low clouds here, many trees have been knocked down. The search and rescue operation has already ended.

The children went on a boat trip between three small islands. They came from one of the banks of Syamozero, spent the night on the other and had to move on. Back on June 18, in the afternoon, when a group of children was walking from one island to another, they were overtaken by not just a storm - a hurricane. Wind gusts reached more than 25 meters per second. Obviously, then four boats, in which there were 47 children and four of their guides, who can hardly be called adults - three of them were 19 years old, one was 17, he also died - capsized.

The fact that the tragedy had occurred became known only on the afternoon of June 19, when local residents came to the shore of the lake to see if the waves had subsided and saw the first dead. They called rescuers. Employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the leadership of the republic arrived at the scene of the incident.

One girl - she was only 12 years old - miraculously survived. She herself reached the shore and told about what happened. Then rescuers evacuated 37 surviving children from one of the islands. They were sent to hospitals in Petrozavodsk.

“It was probably planned to go hiking on these very days,” said the head of the Republic of Karelia, Alexander Khudilainen. “But when the wind blows at a speed of 14 meters, the wave reaches a height of two meters. Not a single sane adult would go out into such a wave, even in a small lake, not like in Syamozero!

14 people died. Thirteen little tourists were between 12 and 15 years old. One of the conductors, who, according to yet unconfirmed data, was 17 years old, also died. 37 survivors are being treated, all showing signs of hypothermia. The water in Syamozero did not warm up above 14 degrees.

The progress of the investigation is monitored by the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, and regular conference calls are held at the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Psychologists work with surviving children.

All the children who were on this trip were teenagers from Moscow and the Moscow region. Their relatives and friends have already been invited to the social protection departments. "There is no connection. We don't know anything yet," said one of the mothers.

The organizers did not notify the rescue services about this hike, so they learned about what happened on the evening of June 18 only on the afternoon of the 19th thanks to a miraculously surviving 12-year-old girl. The investigation still has a lot to find out.

There is a hotline for relatives of dead children and those who survived: 8-8142-73-02-30, 8-800-775-17-17.

Earlier it was reported that investigators completed an examination of the bodies of 14 victims and determined that all of them were camp students.
The official ombudsman for children's rights, Pavel Astakhov, spoke on Life about the discovery of another body of a child who died on Syamozero in Karelia. Thus, according to the latest data, 15 children became victims of the tragedy.

Let us remind you that the tragedy occurred on the night of June 19. During a storm on Syamozero, one of the watercraft on which 47 children and four instructors were traveling capsized. It was previously reported that all those who died in Karelia were camp students born in 2002-2004. There are no adults among them.

The children who died in Karelia were placed in a spontaneous tent camp, not a permanent camp, which passed all inspections.

The Investigative Committee of Russia opened a criminal case for the provision of services that did not meet safety requirements, resulting in the death of two or more persons through negligence.

Four suspects were detained: director of Park Hotel Syamozero LLC Elena Reshetova, her deputy Vadim Vinogradov, as well as instructors Regina Ivanova and Lyudmila Vasilyeva.

The rescue operation has now been completed. In Karelia, June 20 has been declared a Day of Mourning, TASS reports.

At least 10 people died as a result of a boat accident on Lake Syamozero in Karelia.

“According to preliminary data, two boats capsized. There were 26 people in them (two adults, the rest children). 10 children died, 13 people were saved. The search for three more people, including one adult, continues,” a source told Interfax.

It is known that the boats were caught in a storm on Saturday evening.

Dog kennel employees rescued 11 children after a boat crash on Syamozero

11 children were able to get out of the water after a boat crash on a lake in Karelia. They spent the night on the island, and in the morning they were picked up by an employee of a dog kennel in Kudam, reports the local publication Respublika.

“The children were already freezing, it was difficult to wake them up,” said the owner of the nursery, Natalya Stolyarova.

According to her, two children had to undergo emergency medical care. For now, all the saved children are in Kudam.

Sobyanin: the children who died in Karelia were from Moscow

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin tweeted that the children who died in a boat accident in Karelia were from Moscow.

According to him, representatives of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, doctors and psychologists, and the head of the social protection department are sent from Moscow to Karelia. The Moscow mayor also published the hotline numbers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and Social Security. Sobyanin wrote that he gave orders to further check the safety of the resting places of Moscow children.

SK: 11 children and one adult died as a result of a boat crash in Karelia

Ten children and one adult died after a boat crashed on Syamozero during a storm, the Investigative Committee reports.

“According to preliminary data, on June 18, 2016, participants of the children’s health camp “Park-Hotel Syamozero” on boats were caught in a storm on a pond. There were 47 children and four adult instructors on three boats. During a trip on the lake, the boats capsized and sank as a result, 11 children and 1 instructor died,” the department’s website says.

According to the Investigative Committee, the rescue operation is currently ongoing.

The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case after the death of children on a lake in Karelia

The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case after the deaths of children on Syamozero in Karelia. RIA Novosti reports this with reference to the department.

“The Investigative Committee of Russia opened a criminal case under Article 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation regarding the death of tourists in Karelia,” the message says.

This article provides for punishment for performing work or providing services that do not meet the requirements for the safety of life or health of consumers. If these actions negligently resulted in the death of two or more people, the sanctions of this article provide for punishment in the form of forced labor for up to five years or imprisonment for up to ten years.

The Investigative Committee also reports that one of the instructors who accompanied the children was detained.

According to preliminary data, on June 18, participants in the children's health camp “Park Hotel Syamozero” (47 children and four adults) on boats were caught in a storm on the lake. During the trip, the boats capsized and sank.

Investigators and criminologists from the central office of the Investigative Committee went to the scene of the incident. The investigation of this case is under the control of the head of the department, Alexander Bastrykin. Investigators plan to give a legal assessment of the actions of the children's camp staff and others responsible for organizing children's boating in bad weather.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations reported the rescue of 36 people on a lake in Karelia

During a search operation in the area of ​​Lake Syamozero in Karelia, 36 people were rescued, the fate of four more is unknown. RIA Novosti reports this with reference to the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

A representative of the regional headquarters of the Ministry of Emergency Situations told the agency that of the 36 people rescued, 25 are on the island, another 11 are in the village of Kudoma.

Ministry of Emergency Situations: tourists caught in a storm on a lake in Karelia went on a hike without warning

A group of tourists who were caught in a storm on the Karelian Lake Syamozero was not registered. Interfax reports this with reference to the North-West Regional Center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

“The group was not registered and went on a hike to the lake without warning the rescuers,” said a representative of the center.

Astakhov: not all children caught in the storm may have had life jackets

Not all children caught in a storm on Karelian Lake Syamozero could have had life jackets, suggested Children's Rights Commissioner Pavel Astakhov. His representative is at the scene of the incident, RIA Novosti reports.

“It seems that the children who died were simply without life jackets. Those who were wearing life jackets swam out,” Astakhov said.

According to him, it is now becoming clear who allowed the children to go on this hike, and whether everyone was provided with means of rescue. It also turns out “who planned this departure in the first place, whether the routes were coordinated, whether the weather was coordinated, whether the Ministry of Emergency Situations was notified that they were leaving.” Astakhov noted that all this should have been done by the organizers of such trips.

He also said that the office of the Commissioner for Children's Rights, together with the Moscow authorities, is deciding the issue of ensuring the transportation of the bodies of children who died in Karelia.

The head of the Karelian village where the children's camp is located rejected the version of a shortage of life jackets

All those who died during a storm on a lake in Karelia were wearing life jackets, said Andrei Orekhanov, the head of the Essoil rural settlement, on whose territory there is a children's camp. Interfax reports this.

“All the dead and those rescued were wearing life jackets. Apparently, they choked or died from hypothermia,” Orekhanov told the agency.

The head of the Essoil rural settlement noted that he is now at the scene of the incident. Law enforcement officers also work there.

Ministry of Health: five children injured on a lake in Karelia were hospitalized

Five children who were injured during a storm on the Karelian Lake Syamozero were hospitalized in hospitals in Karelia. Interfax reports this with reference to the official representative of the Ministry of Health Oleg Salagay.

“Everyone is provided with the necessary medical care. The reasons for hospitalization are hypothermia, minor injuries, stress,” Salagay clarified.

Previously, he reported that the head of the Ministry of Health, Veronika Skvortsova, personally monitors the work of the regional department to provide the necessary assistance to the victims. Skvortsova also instructed the chief psychiatrist of the Ministry of Health, Zurab Kekelidze, to organize the provision of psychological assistance to the relatives and friends of the victims, both in Karelia and in Moscow.

The Respublika agency reported complaints about the camp on Syamozero, where children died

In the Karelian park hotel "Syamozero", where the children's camp is located, the participants of which were caught in a storm on the lake, inspections were carried out several times: parents complain about the conditions in which their children live there. This was reported by the local news agency Respublika.

“The Syamozero Park Hotel in Karelia has long had a bad reputation. Parents of children vacationing there complained about the living conditions. Children spend the night there in tents, practically in the open air,” writes Respublika. In July 2015, the agency wrote about the complaints that led to the inspection.

The agency clarifies that the park hotel belongs to the tour operator Karelia-Open, which offers several recreation programs for children and youth on Lake Syamozero. According to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, the founder of the company registered in Petrozavodsk is Galina Lisina.

In Karelia, June 20 was declared a day of mourning for those killed on the lake

The head of Karelia, Alexander Khudilainen, declared June 20 a day of mourning in connection with the deaths of people on the Karelian Lake Syamozero, expressing grief for the victims and condolences to their families and friends. This is reported

It was previously reported that Khudilainen headed to the scene of the incident. It was also reported that his first deputy and Prime Minister of the Government of Karelia Oleg Telnov and Telnov’s deputy Valentina Ulich are participating in the work of the operational headquarters.

As the head of Karelia noted, the most important thing is the search and rescue operation and assistance to the victims. He also stated the need to tighten security measures at water bodies as much as possible - primarily in places of public recreation.

In Karelia, the evacuation of children vacationing in a camp on a lake began

Of the 49 vacationers in the camp on the Karelian Lake Syamozero, 12 children have already been evacuated. Another 25 children are being evacuated to a place safe from the storm, as reported on the official portal of Karelia.

The message clarifies that the bodies of 11 dead children were discovered, and the fate of another child is still unknown. A meeting of the operational headquarters will soon begin at the Crisis Management Center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for Karelia to resolve organizational issues.

One of those missing during a storm on a lake in Karelia was found alive

One of those who disappeared during a storm on the Karelian Lake Syamozero was found alive. This was reported by RIA Novosti with reference to a representative of the regional Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

“One person was found alive. He is now in the virgin lands in the village of Kudama. The fate of three more remains unknown,” the agency’s source said.

TASS: the death toll on a lake in Karelia has increased to 14 people

Rescuers found the bodies of three children who were considered missing during a storm on the Karelian Lake Syamozero. TASS reports this with reference to the emergency services of Karelia.

“Three bodies of dead children were found. Thus, the total number of victims of this tragedy has reached 14 people, only one of them is an adult,” the agency’s interlocutor said.

An Interfax agency source in the emergency services reported that the search for those missing during the storm on the lake had been completed. The press service of the North-West Regional Center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations told the agency that now out of the 25 children who remained on the island, the last ten are being transported to the shore.

The Investigative Committee reported on the search for two suspects in the deaths of children on a lake in Karelia

Investigators are taking measures to search for and detain two people hiding from the investigation in the case of the death of children on a lake in Karelia, as well as those who were the direct organizer of the children’s vacation. Earlier it became known that one suspect had been detained, it was reported

The Investigative Committee also confirmed that the number of victims had increased to 14 people: 13 children and one instructor were killed. The official representative of the department, Vladimir Markin, expressed condolences to the families and friends of the deceased children.

The investigation found that the children's holiday in Karelia was organized by the company "Park Hotel "Syamozero"", which won a competition for the holiday based on the results of a tender held by the Moscow Department of Labor and Social Protection of the Population. Markin noted that the investigation will check what kind of competition it was and by what criteria this company was selected. He added that “careful clarification also requires the personnel that the company hired to work with children, the level of training of teachers and instructors.”

Rostourism: among those killed in Karelia were children from disadvantaged Moscow families

The group of children caught in a storm on the Karelian Lake Syamozero was not a tourist group: among them were orphans and children from disadvantaged families who arrived through the Moscow social protection authorities. Interfax reports this with reference to the press service of Rostourism.

“The group included orphans and children from disadvantaged families aged 12-15 years. A trip to the Syamozero Park Hotel camp was organized for them through the Moscow social protection authorities, and a tender was announced for this tour. The organizer was not a travel agency, but a legal entity,” the press service said.

According to Rostourism, all organizations that worked with tourist groups have not allowed clients to go out on the water since June 17 due to a storm warning.

The Investigative Committee announced the arrest of two more suspects in the deaths of children in Karelia

In the case of the death of 13 children and one instructor during a storm on the Karelian lake Syamozero, three suspects were detained: instructors Regina Ivanova and Lyudmila Vasilyeva, as well as deputy director of the Syamozero park hotel Vadim Vinogradov. This was reported on the website of the Investigative Committee.

Now the necessary investigative actions are being carried out with the detainees, and the issue of choosing a preventive measure will soon be decided. The Investigative Committee’s report notes that “it is already quite obvious to the investigation that the instructors who directly accompanied the children on the hike are clearly responsible for their safety.” The department explained that they were among the first to be detained, since the fate of the children directly depended on their actions.

As noted in the message of the Investigative Committee, back on June 17, the Ministry of Emergency Situations warned of showers, thunderstorms and wind gusts of up to 17-20 meters per second in most regions of Karelia. The investigation will determine whether the instructors had this information and why they did not assess wind speed and other weather conditions before the trip.

The Investigative Committee recommended that everyone involved in organizing the campaign independently and immediately appear before the investigators to give evidence. The Investigative Committee also notes that security issues in this camp have been the subject of investigation before: in 2011, the deputy director of the camp beat a guard to death after drinking alcohol together on the camp grounds. He is currently serving a 13-year sentence.

All 14 killed in a boat accident in Karelia were children

Among those killed in the boat crash on Syamozero were only children; It was previously reported that the victims included 13 children and one adult.

“At the moment, investigators have completed an examination of the bodies of 14 victims and have established that all of them are camp students born in 2002-2004. There are no adults among the dead,” reports the head of the press service of the Investigative Committee, Vladimir Markin.

According to him, from this we can conclude that none of the instructors accompanying the children made the necessary efforts to save the minors. The instructors thought only about saving their own lives.

The director of the Syamozero park hotel was detained in the case of the death of children in Karelia.

In the case of the death of children during a storm on a Karelian lake, four suspects were detained, including the director of the Syamozero park hotel Elena Reshetova, her deputy and two instructors. This was reported on the website of the Investigative Committee.

Investigators have completed examining the bodies of 14 victims. It has been established that all of them are camp inmates born in 2002-2004; there are no adults among the dead.

“This once again confirms that, in general, none of the instructors accompanying the children made the necessary efforts to save the children, but were thinking about saving their own lives,” says Vladimir Markin, the official representative of the Investigative Committee.

He noted that “it is already quite obvious to the investigation that the instructors who accompanied the children on the hike are clearly responsible for their safety,” since the fate of the children directly depended on their actions, and the director of the park hotel and her deputy were responsible for direct organization of recreation.

Astakhov reported 15 dead on a lake in Karelia

According to the latest data, 15 children died during a storm on a lake in Karelia, Children's Rights Commissioner Pavel Astakhov said on Twitter.

There is no official confirmation of this information yet. According to the Investigative Committee, 14 children died during a storm on a Karelian lake.

Putin expressed condolences over the deaths of children in Karelia

President Vladimir Putin expressed deep condolences in connection with the tragedy on the Karelian lake, which resulted in the death of children. Interfax reports this with reference to presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov.

“The president was informed through emergency channels about the rescue operation that was launched after the tragedy that occurred in Karelia,” Peskov said.

According to him, during the day Putin repeatedly contacted the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations Vladimir Puchkov, Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. The President also instructed to organize assistance to the victims and relatives of the victims. Putin instructed the Investigative Committee to find out the causes of the tragedy and find those responsible.

Children rescued from the lake were taken to Petrozavodsk

Children rescued from Karelian Lake Syamozero were taken to Petrozavodsk. Interfax reports this with reference to the regional Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

“All the rescued children were taken to Petrozavodsk, they were placed in a temporary detention center. Doctors and psychologists are working with them,” said the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Karelia.

Also, according to the agency, there are five victims in Petrozavodsk. Two were hospitalized at the Republican Children's Hospital, and three more were hospitalized at the Infectious Diseases Hospital. Their condition is monitored by doctors.

Chief psychiatrist of the Ministry of Health: identification of children killed in Karelia will most likely take place in Moscow

The identification of children who died during a storm on the Karelian Lake Syamozero will most likely be carried out in Moscow. Interfax reports this with reference to the chief psychiatrist of the Ministry of Health, head of the Serbsky Center for Psychiatry and Narcology Zurab Kekelizde.

According to him, specialists are preparing to provide psychological assistance to the relatives of the victims: they will help with the identification procedure, and will also accompany those who decide to go to Karelia.

“If there are several families, one of our doctors will go with them. If more come, we will send more employees,” Kekelidze said.

Earlier, he said that the Serbsky center has a hotline where you can get help around the clock: 8-495-637-70-70. Also, the center’s staff is ready to provide the victims and relatives of the victims with all the necessary outpatient and inpatient care.

At a meeting on Sunday, the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Vladimir Puchkov, said that at 23:00 an Il-76 plane would fly to Karelia to deliver the bodies of children who died during the storm on the lake.