The Vilyuchinsky waterfall in the Kamchatka peninsula is formed from the melting of a glacier on the slopes of the Vilyuchinsky volcano. In winter it is known as the “Tsar Icicle” as the waterfall freezes solid. Image credit: Russian Emergency Situations Ministry
A waterfall in Russia that draws hundreds of tourists every year when it freezes has collapsed, injuring three people and killing one.
The 40-meter (130-foot) giant icicle snapped on January 7, trapping the tourists underneath a huge ice sheet for several hours, according to the Russian Emergency Situation Ministry.
More than 40 rescuers were helicoptered in to free the trapped tourists, combining forces from the Kamchatka search and rescue squad, the Kamchatka emergency services canine crew, and doctors from the Territorial Center For Disaster Medicine. All were pulled from the ice. One boy and his father were flown to intensive care with serious injuries and a woman refused hospital treatment. Sadly, a 40-year-old m