A Russian lake’s sunbathers and swimmers enjoying the 32°C heat nearly escaped being crushed when an army tank charged by them.
A tank ‘burst’ out of the forest yesterday morning, shocking people who were enjoying themselves by Andreevsky Lake near Tyumen, according to video.
Around 11 a.m., the tank completed three laps around the beach before spewing a ‘mystery gas’ to scatter the beachgoers.
The holidaymakers included children, witnesses said.
One eye-witness told Tyumen news outlet 72 Ru that the smoke engulfed a camper van parked on the embankment.
‘People with children jumped out from the window because there was no escape from the stinking gas,’ they said.
Another beach-goer told the Telegram channel Climb: ‘We arrived at the beach at 11am to sunbathe, swim and, without warning, a tank burst in at high speed.
‘It sprayed this smoke, it stank strongly of diesel. They didn’t make any demands, they didn’t ask anything. They drove between people.’
Local vendor Alina told 72 Ru that her daughter was taken to hospital after she inhaled the smoke, though local health officials said no emergency calls were made in the area.
She added that military officers came back at around 2:30pm to ‘kick out’ the ice cream and water sellers.
‘They kicked us out with the help of the tank. We have been working here for several years. It’s a beautiful place, the kids love it,’ she said.
The Tyumen Higher Military Engineer Command School, which trains engineers for the Russian Army, said that the land is owned by the Ministry of Defence.
Civilians are forbidden to be in the area, the school said, and officials dug up trenches and set up fences last week to discourage people from entering.
The site is routinely used for military drills, so people need to be ‘removed’ for their own safety.
‘The tank turned around and drove away again. It didn’t scare anyone there, nothing happened,’ it added.
The city mayor’s office said their hands were tied when it comes to the ways the military clear out the lakeside.
‘The land there is provided to the Tyumen Higher Military Engineer Command School,’ a spokesman said.
‘So their actions are legal. The city cannot interfere.’