Chinese police are searching for six Russian tourists and their
two local guides who were reported missing after they embarked on a
canoeing trip in the southwestern part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous
Region.
A statement from the Hotan Prefectural Committee of the
Communist Party of China (CPC) said the group set out along the
upper reaches of the Yurungkax River that flows through Hotan but
soon lost contact with their local Russian-language interpreter
Zhang Hong.
"The six Russians were introduced to me by a Russian friend of
mine and arrived in Hotan in mid-August with the aim of canoeing
along the upper reaches of the Yurunkax River," said Zhang.
According to Zhang, the six Russians flew to Urumqi, regional
capital of Xinjiang, on August 11. Led by Zhang, the six tourists
then flew to Hotan and later arrived by bus in Pulu Village, Yutian
County, where the Yurungkax River originates.
In addition to hiring two villagers as their guides, the six
Russians also rented eight donkeys to help carry daily necessities
weighing about 400 kg, including food, medicine, a GPS system and
tents.
Zhang returned to Urumqi for business on August 14. According to
the original plan, the expedition team would arrive at the banks of
the Yurungkax River on August 20, start canoeing the next day
towards Cele and finish at Kashitashi Township in Hotan County, 30
km from Hotan City, in order to meet Zhang.
However, the six Russians and their two Chinese guides failed to
show up on September 2. Zhang then informed his Russian friend of
the situation two days later, who passed on the news to the
relatives of the tourists.
Zhang reported to the local tourism department in Hotan after
relatives of one of the Russians phoned Zhang twice to request an
immediate search operation.
The six Russians were identified as Vladimir Smetannikov, Sergey
Chernik, Andrey Pautov, Dmitry Tishchenko, Ivan Chernik and
Alexander Zverev, with the youngest aged 25 and the oldest 47.
A joint team made up of members of the local police, tourism
authorities and water resources department are searching for the
missing.
An official in charge of the search operation said the rescuers'
task would be made all the more difficult by the fact the group had
traveled high in the remote Kunlun mountain range at heights of
between 5,000 and 6,000 meters above sea level, but they were
optimistic the group was just temporarily out of contact.
(Xinhua News Agency September 7, 2007)