A deputy governor of Russia's Khanty-Mansiisk autonomous district is presumed dead after falling overboard during a boating trip in Siberia, investigators said Tuesday.
Deputy Governor Vitaly Yermoshin was boating on the Ob, the world's seventh-longest river, when he fell into the water at about 8 p.m. on Saturday, the regional branch of the Investigative Committee's transport division said in an online statement.
Yermoshin, whose body has not been recovered, was not wearing a life jacket when he fell overboard, investigators said.
The deputy governor was on the boat together with gubernatorial aide Alexei Putin and the latter's 16-year-old son, as well as a regional coordinator from the ruling United Russia party, Daria Bochkareva, at the time of the accident, the LifeNews website reported Tuesday.
Local businessman Teifur Geibatov had lent the boat to the officials but did not provide the necessary documents authorizing them to operate the vessel, LifeNews reported. As such the trip took place illegally, and the boat's owner could now face a fine, the report added.
A criminal case has since been opened into the violation of water transport safety regulations resulting in a person's death, the Investigative Committee statement said. The search for Yermoshin's body continues, it added.
