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8 dead after Moscow sewers flood during tour that may have been illegal

Updated on: August 22, 2023 / 9:28 AM EDT / AFP

Eight people were found dead after heavy rains trapped participants on a tour of Moscow 's sewer system, state media reported Monday.

The TASS news agency said water levels in the sewers rose rapidly after a downpour and the victims were couldn't escape to the surface.

"The bodies of all participants of the excursion have been found," investigators said, adding formal identification of the victims was underway.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called the incident a "terrible tragedy" on social media and expressed his condolences.

Video shared on social media showed investigators looking down a manhole in the capital, while divers searched the Moskva river.

Several tour operators offer trips into the vast tunnels of the Russian capital's sewer system, some of which were constructed during the 19th century.

The legality of such trips is disputed, and investigators said Monday they had launched a criminal case into an "illegal excursion."

One of the tour organisers has already been detained, Russia's Investigative Committee said Tuesday, adding that another defendant is thought to have fled to the United Arab Emirates.

Daniil Davydov, described as an "urban explorer," told the RIA news agency that there were shelters in the tunnel where people could escape but that nobody could be found.

"I hoped that maybe I would still be able to find some survivors there," he added. "There are two shelter points, but there was no one there."

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Three found dead after Moscow guided sewer tour hit by heavy rain

Several others missing after water levels in Russian capital’s sewers rose quickly after downpour

Three people were found dead and several others were missing after taking part in a guided tour of Moscow’s sewer system that was hit by heavy rain, state-run media said.

“The body of an unidentified woman has been found in the Moskva River, making her the third person to die after a tour of the underground sewers,” a source in the emergency services was quoted as saying by the TASS news agency.

According to the agency, water levels in the sewer rose quickly on Sunday after a downpour and the victims were unable to escape to the surface.

Video shared on social media showed investigators peering down a manhole cover in the capital, while divers searched the Moskva.

A number of tour guides offer trips down into the vast tunnels of the capital’s sewer system, some of which were constructed during the 19th century.

One urban explorer said there were shelters in the tunnel where people could escape, but that nobody could be found.

“I hoped that maybe I would still be able to find some survivors there. There are two shelter points, but there was no one there,” Daniil Davydov told the RIA news agency.

Police are investigating the organiser of the tour, local media said.

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Eight bodies retrieved after Moscow sewer tour accident - TASS

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At Least Four Dead After Moscow Sewer Tour Hit by Heavy Rain

(Reuters) - The bodies of four people have been found in Moscow's sewer system and several others are still missing after becoming trapped by heavy rain during a guided tour underground, the TASS state news agency reported on Monday.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called it a "terrible tragedy", without specifying the number of victims. He said the search for missing people was continuing, and investigators were establishing details of what happened.

TASS said authorities had opened a criminal case and the organisers of the tour were being questioned. It described the excursion as illegal. Another agency, RIA, said eight people in total were believed to have taken part.

Heavy rain in Moscow on Sunday caused water levels in the sewage system to rise sharply, preventing the people from escaping to the surface, TASS quoted rescue workers as saying.

The dead included a company employee, his 15-year-old daughter and 17-year-old nephew, social media sites reported. Reuters could not verify the reports.

A number of guides offer tours of Moscow's sprawling sewer system, parts of which date back to the 19th century.

(Writing by Gareth Jones; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

Copyright 2023 Thomson Reuters .

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At least 5 dead after torrential rains washed away a Moscow tour group exploring the city's underground sewers

• Multiple people are dead after floodwaters washed away a Moscow sewer tour group.
• Russian state media reported that torrential rains left an illegal tour group stuck underground.
• Officials are still searching the Moskva river for bodies. 

At least five people are dead after heavy rains flooded Moscow's sewer system, washing away a tour group of eight people who were exploring the historic underground system.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin confirmed the accident in a Monday Telegram post, saying law enforcement was investigating the details of the doomed "self-organized descent."

Russian state media outlet Tass News Agency reported a teenage girl was pulled from the river on Sunday night following the flooding. Two more tour members, a man and a teenage boy, were found in the river early Monday morning, the outlet said.

The fourth and fifth victims were also discovered in the river Monday afternoon, the outlet reported , citing an unnamed emergency official.

Insider could not independently verify the number of confirmed dead.

Related stories

Authorities are still looking for the remaining missing as divers search the Moskva River for more bodies.

Photos and videos posted to social media appeared to show officials looking down a manhole cover, as well as investigators searching the river by boat.

Torrential downpours walloped Moscow on Sunday, causing a rapid rise in water levels inside the underground tunnels. The rains accounted for about a third of Moscow's monthly rainfall, Russian state media outlet Ria Novosti reported.

The heavy rains resulted in abrupt floodwaters throughout the system that ultimately cut off tour participants from a feasible escape route, trapping them below, according to media outlets.

Among those still missing is the tour's leader, identified by media outlets as Konstantin Filipov, 31. The Daily Beast and The Daily Mail reported that Filipov clocked the heavy rains during the tour and texted a colleague in hopes of finding a new exit minutes before disaster struck.

Ria Novosti reported that more than 20 people were originally scheduled to take the sewer tour, which was focused on the Neglinnaya River, a tributary of the Moskva. But with heavy rains in the forecast, several participants dropped out, leaving just eight people on the expedition.

Many of Moscow's sewers date as far back as the 19th century, and several companies offer historic walking tours of the system throughout the city.

Russian media outlets cited emergency officials who said the tour company in charge of the missing group was an illegal organization that had been operating for three years.

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• Main content

Eight people die in Moscow sewer after tour group trapped by flash flood

Eight members of a tour group exploring underground tunnels in Moscow's sewer system have been found dead after being caught in flash flooding.

Key points:

• Local media said the bodies of eight members of a tour group had been found
• Authorities said one of the tour organisers had been detained
• Tour operators offer trips in Moscow's sewers, but their legality is disputed

The victims, who were touring an underground river known as the Neglinka, are believed to have become trapped by rising water levels, following a downpour on Sunday and were unable to escape to the surface.

The Neglinka was an above-ground river two centuries ago, before being pushed underground in tunnels which doubled as sewers. Some parts have been reconstructed, and other older parts preserved as examples of engineering.

Many large American cockroaches can now be found in the sewers after they were brought to Moscow in the 18th century, according to the city's government.

Among those who drowned were the tour guide and seven members of his party, which included a minor, local media said.

"The bodies of all participants of the excursion have been found," investigators said, adding formal identification of the victims was underway.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called the incident a "terrible tragedy" on social media and expressed his condolences.

Several tour operators offer trips into the vast tunnels of the capital's sewer system, some of which were constructed during the 19th century.

The legality of such trips is disputed, and investigators said on Monday that they had launched a criminal case into an "illegal excursion".

One of the tour organisers has already been detained, Russia's Investigative Committee said on Tuesday, adding that another defendant is thought to have fled to the United Arab Emirates.

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Eight people killed on moscow sewer tour after being trapped underground during flash flood.

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A guide and seven people were killed while touring the Moscow sewer system after becoming trapped beneath the city during severe flooding over the weekend, Russian state news reported.

The group had been touring the Neglinka River, which flows beneath the city through a network of historic tunnels dating back to the 19th century.

Severe rains on Sunday flooded the Neglinka tunnels , trapping the victims inside before finally washing them out into the Moskva River.

A search effort was launched, with divers finally locating most of the victims in the Moskva near Zaryadye Park in the center of the city, BBC reported.

“Now all eight participants in the excursion have been found. They all died. The search operation is at an end,” a rescue worker told the Russian state outlet TASS.

An investigation has been opened into the tour group, which authorities suspect may have been flouting safety standards in the tunnels.

Three people were involved in organizing the tour, authorities said. One has been charged but another reportedly fled to the United Arab Emirates.

So far the identities of three of the victims have been released, according to Reuters — an employee who worked for the tour company, and his both 15-year-old daughter and 17-year-old nephew.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called the deaths a “terrible tragedy.”

Over 20 people originally planned to join the tour, Ria news agency reported, but most backed out over the weather reports.

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At least four dead after Moscow sewer tour hit by heavy rain

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

(Reuters) - The bodies of four people have been found in Moscow's sewer system and several others are still missing after becoming trapped by heavy rain during a guided tour underground, the TASS state news agency reported on Monday.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called it a "terrible tragedy", without specifying the number of victims. He said the search for missing people was continuing, and investigators were establishing details of what happened.

TASS said authorities had opened a criminal case and the organisers of the tour were being questioned. It described the excursion as illegal. Another agency, RIA, said eight people in total were believed to have taken part.

Heavy rain in Moscow on Sunday caused water levels in the sewage system to rise sharply, preventing the people from escaping to the surface, TASS quoted rescue workers as saying.

The dead included a company employee, his 15-year-old daughter and 17-year-old nephew, social media sites reported. Reuters could not verify the reports.

A number of guides offer tours of Moscow's sprawling sewer system, parts of which date back to the 19th century.

(Writing by Gareth Jones; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

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At Least 8 Feared Dead After Sewer Tour Goes Awry

The tour guide was among those missing. In his last text message, he reportedly wrote, “F*ck, it’s raining.”

Erik Uebelacker

REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

A guided tour through Moscow’s sewer system went horribly wrong on Sunday when a downpour flooded the underground tunnels while the tour group was inside.

Now, a frantic search is underway for at least eight missing members of the trip. Three teenagers have been found dead so far, one 17-year-old and two 15-year-olds, according to state-run media.

“The body of an unidentified woman has been found in the Moskva River, making her the third person to die after a tour of the underground sewers,” an emergency services source told the TASS news agency.

Eight people were known to be on the disastrous tour, but officials fear more could be missing. Two dozen people had reportedly signed up to take the tour, but it’s unclear exactly how many ended up going.

Sunday’s trip apparently went haywire when heavy rainfall caused the sewer’s water levels to quickly rise, and the group was unable to escape the tunnels. Tour guide Konstantin Filipov, 31, is among those missing. In his last text message, he pleaded for an early exit of the tour.

“Fuck, it’s raining. Can I go out at Trubnaya?” his message said.

Daniil Davydov, an urban historian from Moscow, told the RIA news agency that there were escape shelters in the tunnel for emergencies like this. Unfortunately, nobody was found in them.

“I hoped that maybe I would still be able to find some survivors there. There are two shelter points, but there was no one there,” Davydov was quoted as saying .

The tour organizer is under investigation by local law enforcement, Russian media reported.

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At least four dead after Moscow sewer tour hit by heavy rain

Monday, 21 Aug 2023

(Reuters) - The bodies of four people have been found in Moscow's sewer system and several others are still missing after becoming trapped by heavy rain during a guided tour underground, the TASS state news agency reported on Monday.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called it a "terrible tragedy", without specifying the number of victims. He said the search for missing people was continuing, and investigators were establishing details of what happened.

TASS said authorities had opened a criminal case and the organisers of the tour were being questioned. It described the excursion as illegal. Another agency, RIA, said eight people in total were believed to have taken part.

Heavy rain in Moscow on Sunday caused water levels in the sewage system to rise sharply, preventing the people from escaping to the surface, TASS quoted rescue workers as saying.

The dead included a company employee, his 15-year-old daughter and 17-year-old nephew, social media sites reported. Reuters could not verify the reports.

A number of guides offer tours of Moscow's sprawling sewer system, parts of which date back to the 19th century.

(Writing by Gareth Jones; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Four bodies ‘pulled from Moscow sewer’ after tour group vanishes

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The bodies of four people – including three teenagers – have reportedly been pulled out of a sewer in Moscow , Russia , after a tour group vanished.

On Sunday afternoon, the body of a 15-year-old was recovered from a sewer that flows into the Moscow River near the Moskvoretskaya Embankment.

In the early hours today local time, the body of a 17-year-old digger was found in the same location, insiders said to Channel Five and REN-TV .

Rescuers struggled to remove the boy’s body near the Kitay-Gorod neighbourhood and had to use special equipment to do so.

The body of a third person, a 15-year-old schoolgirl, was also found in the Neglinka sewer near Varvarka Street, per the Baza Telegram channel.

An emergency service source told the state-owned RIA Novosti news agency that a fourth body, a second male digger, has now been rescued.

‘At 5:35am, near the Paveletsky railway station, a man’s body was pulled out of the [sewer],’ the source said.

Their age or identity has not been disclosed.

Some 24 people are believed to have signed up for a tour of the capital city’s sewer network only for intense rainfall to lead to a string of cancellations, city emergency services say.

At least five people showed up for the tour on Sunday morning, a spokesperson said. (Rescuers are ‘looking for the rest’ of the tour-goers, they added, though some reports put the number of missing people as high as eight.)

The three teenagers had allegedly gone on the tour with their uncle, an IT worker, only to become trapped by the intense rainfall.

The powerful thunderstorms over Moscow saw a third of the region’s monthly rainfall, about 44mm, fall in a single day, weather services said.

Tour organisers have cancelled all future excursions as investigators identify the bodies, the emergency incidents Telegram channel, 112 , said.

The channel reported that the tour costs 9,000 rubles (£75) and sees excursionists given safety equipment and a torch.

A criminal case has been opened amid fears the tour service does not comply with health and safety standards.

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• FROM AFP NEWS

Five Dead After Moscow Sewers Flooded During Tour

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UPDATES with five dead

Five people were found dead and several others were missing after heavy rains trapped participants on a tour of Moscow's sewer system, state media reported Monday.

The TASS news agency said water levels in the sewers rose rapidly after a downpour and the victims were unable to escape to the surface.

"The death of five participants to the illegal excursion has been confirmed," the emergency services were cited as saying.

Video shared on social media showed investigators looking down a manhole in the capital, while divers searched the Moskva river.

Several tour operators offer trips into the vast tunnels of the capital's sewer system, some of which were constructed during the 19th century, though it was not clear if all the visits are permitted by authorities.

Daniil Davydov, described as an "urban explorer", told the RIA news agency that there were shelters in the tunnel where people could escape, but that nobody could be found.

"I hoped that maybe I would still be able to find some survivors there. There are two shelter points, but there was no one there," he said.

Police have opened a criminal investigation into the organiser of the tour, local media said.

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