Fifteen children died in a storm while boating on a lake in Russia's northwestern region of Karelia, prompting investigators to detain four people who organised the outing despite cyclone warnings.
Several boats with children overturned on Sunday in a storm in Syamozero, 120km east of the border with Finland, according to Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the nation's main state investigative agency.
Of 47 children and four adult instructors in the boats, 15 children died, Markin said.
He had originally said that one of the 15 dead was an instructor.
Markin said the revised information came after investigators identified the victims.
Four people have been detained on suspicions of violating safety rules: two instructors as well as the director and deputy director of a hotel where they were staying and which reportedly organised the boating party.
Repeated warnings of an advancing Atlantic cyclone had been issued days ahead of the storm, advising everyone against boating on the lake, one of the favourite holiday destinations in the area, regional Karelia legislatorr Alexei Gavrilov said on Rossiya 24 television.The children who went out boating came from Moscow and the capital's Mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, offered condolences to the victims' families.
"They didn't have the right to go out boating," he said.
Vladimir Kucherenko, the director of a local tourist company, said that most children had apparently died from long exposure to cold water, as water temperatures in the lake were 8-10 degrees Celsius.
He said strong winds might have driven boats across the lake, making it hard for the children to get to the shore.
"I would like to look the person who allowed them to go boating in the eye," Kucherenko said in televised remarks. "It was suicidal."
Local experts said that the shallow lake could be extremely dangerous to navigate in strong winds, and even experienced local fishermen stayed away from the lake over the weekend.
At least 15 orphans or children from troubled families have drowned at the Russian summer camp after their boats capsized in a storm in the Karelia region, northwest Russia.
According to Russia’s Investigative Committee, the incident took place on Sunday on Lake Syamozero, close to the border with Finland. Thirty-seven people survived the accident.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the investigation was ordered directly by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"The president gave relevant instructions to Investigative Committee to identify the causes of the tragedy and to identify those guilty of it," said Peskov.
A committee spokesman added that all the victims were between the ages of nine and 15, from Moscow, and were either orphans or from troubled families.
He noted that four people from the hotel’s staff have been detained during the criminal investigation.
“Within the framework of a criminal investigation, a legal assessment will be given to the actions of the staff of the children's camp and other responsible parties, which send the children boating in bad weather,” the spokesman added.
“Unfortunately, it won’t be possible to bring back the children,” said Vladimir Markin, another spokesman for the committee.
Markin also criticized lack of attention to safety measures from the camp's personnel, saying that the kids were not wearing safety vests during the tragic boat trip.
“I sympathize with all the parents and those close to the children, who died because of the negligence and stupidity of the adults, with whom they had entrusted what was dearest to them: the lives and health of their children,” he added.
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