Emergency Ministry Chief Flies to Bodaibo Over Frozen Water Pipe
Head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) for Irkutsk Oblast, Vyacheslav Fedoseenko, flew to Bodaibo where a utility accident occurred. The central water supply froze, leaving over 1,300 people without water and heat. An emergency regime was introduced in the city this morning.
As reported in his Telegram channel, Governor Igor Kobzev said that his deputy Roman Kolesov and the head of the emergency ministry will personally supervise the response efforts.
«Emergency teams were thawing the mainline all night. This work continues at this moment,» Kobzev noted.
Head of the Bodaibo urban settlement Alexei Botvin added that specialists are trying to «steam and thaw» this section of the mainline.
«About 500 meters have already been covered. Work is underway, with many mining artels involved. Volunteers are helping, the administration, that is, people are working already, well, one could say, even to the point of exhaustion, because no one slept. 24/7, people are ready today to perform the function required of them,» Botvin reported.
Recall that in Bodaibo, problems with heating and hot water have been observed for the third day. The central water supply froze, leaving over 1,300 people without heat. Governor Igor Kobzev called the situation in the city «critical», sending his first deputy Roman Kolesov and Minister of Housing Policy and Energy Anatoly Nikitin there. In the city, an emergency regime has been in effect since January 31, 2026.
Bodaibo residents told how they survive in their homes without heating in temperatures of -40°C (-40°F). Moreover, city residents united and created a mutual aid chat: they deliver food, water, and heaters to each other.
