Minibus Driver Sentenced for Crash Into Baikal, 13 Injured
A 59-year-old minibus driver was sentenced to three years of probation after his vehicle rolled into Lake Baikal in August 2025, injuring 13 tourists.
May 1, 2026 0
A minibus driver received a suspended sentence for rolling into Lake Baikal with tourists, injuring 13.
Source:
Olkhonsky District Court sentenced a 59-year-old minibus driver who rolled into Lake Baikal with tourists in August 2025. The regional investigative department of the Investigative Committee of Russia (SKR) reported this. Thirteen people were injured.
The incident occurred on 8 August near the village of Shida in Olkhonsky District. According to the regional prosecutor«s office, the 59-year-old driver from Irkutsk was transporting tourists for money and knew about the malfunction of the parking brake system of his vehicle.
According to investigators, the driver stopped the vehicle on a slope and got out to check the door. At that moment, the minibus rolled down the slope into the lake. Seven people, fearing for their lives, jumped out of the cabin while moving, and six tourists, including a child, remained inside.
Thirteen passengers suffered various injuries, including serious harm to one woman«s health. The victims were taken to a district hospital, the prosecutor»s office emphasized.
The driver fully admitted his guilt and repented. The court sentenced him to three years of probation with the same probation period.
Additionally, the victims« claims for compensation for property and moral damages totaling over 500,000 rubles (approximately $5,600 at current rates) were satisfied.
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