The last remaining Russian rafting tourist unaccounted for in China has been officially declared missing. The statement comes after the Russian Emergencies Ministry called off its rescue operation. The Chinese will continue searching on the ground.
On Thursday the Emergencies Ministry plane will head back to Russia with the two survivors on board, along with the bodies of the three rafters found dead. Meanwhile the missing tourist's colleagues and friends who took part in the rescue operation say they want to continue the search. Sergey Papush, President of the Canoe Slalom Federation, says they are waiting for the three members of the federation that have been taking part in the operation to return home to Kazan before planning their text move: “We will ask for help from the Chinese, because we’ll need a helicopter to get to the area. We hope the missing tourist will survive like the other two did,” he said.