The search continues in the Murmansk region for a tourist from Belarus who was carried away by the current during ice-floating on the Tuloma River. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations sent a Mi-8 helicopter to survey the water area of the Kola Bay and the Barents Sea, the regional headquarters of the department reported.
According to the head of the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for the Murmansk region, Dina Rygina, rescuers from the Murmansk Arctic Integrated Emergency Rescue Center are on board the aircraft. At the same time, ground units are also conducting searches.
The incident occurred on the evening of January 1, 2026. During a group ice-floating session — swimming in insulated wetsuits — one of the participants was carried away by the current. Her whereabouts have remained unknown since then.
Investigative authorities have opened a criminal case under the article on the provision of services that do not meet safety requirements. The Consulate General of Belarus in St. Petersburg confirmed that the missing woman is a citizen of that country.
Search operations are complicated by extreme weather conditions: since the beginning of January, the region has been experiencing severe frosts down to minus 35–38 ºC, and icing of ships and wind up to 17 m/s are observed in the Barents Sea. Weather forecasters predict that the cold weather will continue at least until the end of the day on January 6.
