The key facts

  • The Moskovsky-11 motor ship ran aground ~500 m from the shore on the Lena; on board were more than 100 passengers, including 40 children, and three crew members.
  • According to the Yakutia agency, by 18:17 local time 68 people had been evacuated: 60 to Nizhny Bestyakh and eight to Yakutsk; the evacuation is ongoing.
  • 28 people and 6 units of equipment are involved in the rescue; the captain is taking measures to refloat the vessel.

Grounded motor ship: evacuation of passengers

Passengers of the Moskovsky-11 motor ship, which ran aground near Yakutsk, are being evacuated on hovercraft. This was reported by the Ministry of Civil Defense and Public Safety of Yakutia. As of 18:17 local time (12:17 Moscow time), 68 people had been evacuated from the vessel: 60 passengers were taken to Nizhny Bestyakh and eight to Yakutsk. The evacuation was ongoing at the time of publication; forces and resources are deployed on site to ensure the safety of people.

Circumstances of the incident

According to the publication, the motor ship ran aground approximately 500 meters from the shore during a voyage from Yakutsk to Nizhny Bestyakh. There is a discrepancy in dates: the headline of the Gazeta.Ru publication dates the event to October 21, while the text dates it to October 22. There were more than a hundred passengers on board, including 40 children, as well as three crew members. According to EMERCOM, the incident occurred on the left bank of the Lena River between the Maly and Bolshoy Khatastyr islands; relevant services were dispatched to the scene. 28 people and 6 units of equipment are involved in the rescue operation.

Situation on site

EMERCOM clarified that there is no precipitation in the area of the incident and the air temperature is -3°C. Emergency services are monitoring the situation, and the captain of the motor ship is taking measures to refloat the vessel. Earlier, a spill of petroleum products was reported in Krasnoyarsk Krai due to an emergency involving a motor ship.