Lake Syamozero: At least 10 children dead in Russia after storm hits tourist boat

Moscow's Mayor Sergey Sobyanin calls the incident 'a great tragedy'

There were 47 children and 4 adults on board the three tourist vessels (Wikimedia Commons / Semenov)

At least 11 people, including ten children, are dead after three tourist vessels were caught in a lake storm in Karelia, northwest Russia, the country’s Investigative Committee has said.

All of the children killed in Lake Syamozero, aged between 12 and 15, were from Moscow, according to the city’s Mayor Sergey Sobyanin.

Mr Sobyanin wrote on Twitter: “In Karelia there was a great tragedy. On preliminary data Syamozero killed ten children from Moscow. Condolences to the family and friends.

“Representatives of the Ministry of Emergencies, the head of the Department of Social Protection, doctors and psychologists have been sent from Moscow to Karelia.”

The tourist convoy caught in the storm was made up of two boats and one raft, according to the Emergencies Ministry.

Rescuers have managed to save 11 people so far, the ministry said in a statement.

Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said there were 47 children and four adults on board the three tourist vessels.

Ekaterina Biktimirova, Karelia’s Culture Minister, told Russian News Agency TASS: "The group of 49 people started its voyage on Saturday.

"There were children between 12 and 15 years old with a guardian. They were caught by a storm overnight. There are casualties.

"Rescuers have found 11 bodies of children, two more children are still missing."

Only those children who were in life vests managed to survived, children’s rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov wrote on Twitter.

He added: "All children's tourist camps should be inspected. The Emergencies Ministry must agree on all the routes, and take into account the weather conditions.

The children were from a summer camp located near the lake, according to reports. One girl reportedly managed to reach the shore of the local resort by herself.

Lake Syamozero, a large freshwater lake roughly 100km from the border with Finland, is used for fishing, timber rafting and tourism.