Heavy rain turns Moscow sewers tour into tragedy

A group discovering the labyrinth beneath the Russian capital has apparently been swept away by rising water

Three people have died and several more remain missing from a group of tourists who undertook an illegal excursion into sewage collectors in central Moscow, local media outlets have reported. The explorers were apparently swept away by an underground water surge after heavy rain.

On Sunday, the Russian capital was hit by a massive shower, in which 40% of the monthly average precipitation fell in an hour,  according to Moscow officials, and which caused localized flooding in some areas.

RIA-Novostio reported that some 20 people had initially had signed up for an excursion of the Neglinnaya River, which flows in underground tunnels through central Moscow, and was scheduled to take place on the day.

After most of the registered explorers cancelled, due to the weather forecast, eight people still descended into the sewers, he added.

The group was apparently underground when the rain suddenly intensified and many ended up getting swept away by rising water.

On Sunday evening, the body of a 15-year-old girl was recovered from the Moskva River. The body of a 17-year-old boy was found in the water in the same area early on Monday, according to Izvestia.

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RIA-Novost’s source said that another body, that of a male, had been fished out from a sewage collector near the capital’s Paveletsky train station on Monday morning. The fate of the other participants currently remains unknown.

Several media outlets reported that a 47-year-old employee of one of Russia’s leading IT companies, Lanit, his 15-year-old daughter and his 17-year-old nephew, were among those who had gone underground.

The organizers of the Neglinnaya River tours have been offering their services online for 9,000 rubles (around $95) per person. At the moment, all of their upcoming excursions have been canceled, according to their website.

A criminal case over the provision of services that do not meet safety standards was launched after the deadly sewers tour, a source within law enforcement agencies told RIA-Novosti. The charge carries a maximum punishment of up to ten years in prison.

READ MORE: People trapped in cars as flooding hits southern Germany (VIDEOS)

The Deputy Speaker of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, Boris Chernyshov has called for criminal liability to be introduced for breaching underground facilities and vital city infrastructure, including organizing tours.