Two cars broke through the ice while crossing the Lena River near Yakutsk, according to statements from the public prosecutor’s office. The incident was captured by a bystander and later shared on the Telegram channel Mash, providing a firsthand account of what happened on the river crossing between the village of Nizhny Bestyakh and Yakutsk.
Video footage shows a Toyota Ipsum and a Mazda Bongo moving along a section of the ice crossing. At a critical moment the ice could not bear the weight of the vehicles, and their forward progress halted as the surface began to fail. Moments later the cars started to sink into the cold water. In the seconds before the plunge, the drivers and passengers exited the vehicles and moved to safer ground. Mash reports that there were four people in each vehicle, and all of them were rescued from danger as the situation unfolded on the ice.
The public prosecutor’s office indicated that drivers of both vehicles faced protocols for proceeding onto the ice crossing without proper authorization. Officials noted that the vehicles did not comply with conditions posted on nearby road signs designed to regulate travel on the ice. The surveillance and enforcement measures described by the prosecutor’s office include fines for crossing before the official opening of the passes. Citizens may face penalties of up to five thousand rubles, while legal entities could face fines reaching up to one million rubles for such violations.
Earlier, a separate incident was reported in Khanty-Mansiysk in which a man was able to exit a vehicle during an accident, underscoring ongoing concerns about safety and rapid changes in ice conditions on regional waterways. These events highlight the importance of adhering to posted restrictions and the responsibilities of drivers to assess surface safety before attempting any crossing on frozen rivers.