Teenage diggers drown during tour of Moscow underground canals

Teenage diggers were found in the Moskva River near the Kremlin. The diggers drowned during their tour of Moscow's underground facilities in a heavy downpour.

The diggers went on an excursion on Sunday, August 20. They descended into the main canal of the Moscow drainage system at around 11:00 am in the area of the Neglinka River. In the evening of the same day, an evacuation was announced in Zaryadye Park. The territory of the park was closed for technical reasons. The body of the first digger was found later in the area of the park embankment. The second body was recovered in the morning of August 21.

The teenagers were 15 and 17 years old. It is believed that they were relatives of Dmitry Markushin, an employee of Lanit Group, a fan of outdoor extreme activities.

The body of another member of the group — a 15-year-old schoolgirl — was found later in the area of the Bolshoi Ustyinsky Bridge on Moskvoretskaya Embankment. She had a head injury that she may have received when the onrush of floodwater from the sewer washed the diggers away.

Emergency services said that the bodies of a girl and a man, believed to be about 40 years old, were found in the river too.

According to rescuers, there could be up to eight people in the group. None of them can be reached, the search for the missing people continues.

"An employee of Russia's largest IT company, his daughter and nephew could be among those missing in the sewer,” rescuers said.

There is no precise information about how many people there were in the group. According to preliminary reports, it goes about 10-20 people.

A ticket for such an excursion amounts to 9,000 rubles (about $100). Tourists receive only shoe covers and a flashlight for this money.

Excursions have been temporarily suspended. Organisers canceled all upcoming underground tours and reimbursed the participants for the tickets.

On August 20, there was a heavy downpour in Moscow. The downpour flooded several metro stations, shopping centres and warehouses.