IRKUTSK, April 6 (RIA Novosti) - The minister of transport and energy for Russia's East Siberian republic of Buryatia died at the weekend when his vehicle crashed through the ice on Lake Baikal, an emergencies spokesman said on Monday.
Sergei Chernigovsky died on Saturday as his SUV "drove on to the ice at a high speed and fell through," the spokesman said. He was on a fishing trip at the time.
It is common for drivers to take their vehicles across the lake's frozen surface in the winter months.
Several other officials were in the car during the accident, but they managed to get out of the vehicle in time. Work is currently underway to pull the car out of the water.
East Siberia's Baikal is the world's deepest lake.
