The Olkhon District Court in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, recently rendered a judgment in an accident where ice overturned on the Baikal lake, resulting in the death of a Chinese tourist. The driver involved was sentenced to 4 years in prison, with a 4-year suspension. Neither party appealed the judgment, which has now taken effect.
According to a report by the Russian IrkutskMedia website on September 29, the Olhyn District Court handled this criminal case. The defendant is a local resident who was accused of providing services that did not meet safety requirements and caused the death of another person due to negligence.
Case materials show that on the morning of January 28, 2026, the man drove his UAZ vehicle to illegally provide tourism transportation services to tourists.
The Joint Information Service of the General Court of Irkutsk Oblast, the State Prosecutor's Office, and the Investigation Department of the Irkutsk Oblast of the Federal Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation stated that the man did not have a driving license for motor vehicles, yet he organized and drove the vehicle himself, transporting 10 foreign tourists on ice floes of Lake Baikal.
During the journey, in order to avoid a crack on the ice surface, the driver made an error in operation, resulting in the vehicle overturning.
A 75-year-old Chinese female tourist who did not wear a seat belt was injured in the accident and later died due to severe injuries.
The court ultimately found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to 4 years in prison with a suspended sentence. A 4-year probation period was also established. Neither the prosecution nor the defense appealed the judgment, so the judgment has now taken effect officially.
The report also mentioned that on February 20th of this year, another tourist death occurred on the ice of Lake Baikal.
At that time, a 44-year-old UAZ driver was driving a foreign tourist on ice. The vehicle fell into a crevasse and sank into the lake along with the passengers inside. In the end, only a 31-year-old man was rescued. All seven tourists—including one child—as well as the driver died.
