ISTANBUL

At least seven Chinese tourists were killed in Russia’s Siberian region of Irkutsk after their car fell through the ice at Lake Baikal, local authorities announced on Friday.

The regional branch of the country's Emergency Situations Ministry said on Russian social media platform VKontakte that its personnel are working at the scene of the incident, which it said occurred near Cape Khoboy in the region’s Olkhonsky district.

Stating that the car was found to have sunk into a three-meter-wide opening, the statement said the depth of the lake at the site of the incident is 18 meters (59 feet).

“Rescuers conducted an underwater camera survey. The bodies of seven people have been recovered. Diving operations are planned,” it added.

Earlier, Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev wrote on Telegram that one tourist managed to escape, based on eyewitness accounts, while the whereabouts of the remaining passengers and the driver of the car are being determined.

Kobzev further said that Russia’s Investigative Committee opened a criminal case into the incident.

“The Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Irkutsk has been notified of the incident,” Kobzev went on to say, adding that the ice crossing to the island of Olkhon is not yet open and that driving on the ice is dangerous and strictly prohibited.

Citing Beijing's diplomatic mission in Irkutsk, the state-run Xinhua news agency confirmed that seven Chinese tourists drowned in the incident.