Mystery over shock reports Yanukovych's son 'died at Lake Baikal'

The younger son of deposed Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych died at the Siberian lake, according to Russian and Ukrainian media reports. Viktor junior, 33, had been living in exile in Russia. However, the Russian Emergencies Ministry claimed that Yanukovych junior's name was not listed those involved in a tragedy when a vehicle fell through the ice. 

'Sources said he was taking part in sport events when a Volkswagen minibus which had five other people crashed through the ice,' according to Rain TV. 

'Victor Yankovich junior drowned, five other passengers managed to survive.' 

Separately information about a tragedy on Baikal was  confirmed by Russian Ministry of Emergencies in Irkutsk region. The report did not name Yanukovych.

'There is definitely no 'Yanukovich' surname among people that were wounded/killed in this accident,' said a ministry source. 'All names and surnames are known, but we have no right to disclose them.'

It is likely that the Yanukovych family is using another family name in Russia.

The ministry stated that on the evening of 20 March a vehicle with five passengers and one driver crashed through the ice in a northern part of Lake Baikal. 

'The bus drove on the ice against the warning from information signs because passengers wanted to make photographs. In the area of Cape Khoboi the bus fell into a crack. Lake Baikal is about 20 metres deep in that area', said the Ministry of Emergencies press service.

'Around 23.40 Irkutsk time five people who managed to escape the sinking Volkswagen were found by rescuers and delivered to Sakhyurta village on a Khivus-10 hovercraft.'

Rescurers then found the body of a man in the ice hole. A number of figures close to Yanukovych have been found dead in recent weeks. 

Yanukovych Junior was said to be a passionate driver and admirer of expensive cars. 

A notorious car collection found at the president's mansion near Kiev was said to have been his.