UST-KAMCHATSK , Russia -- Russian emergency officials reported a minibus with 12 people aboard was missing Tuesday in a heavy snowstorm on the eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.
A spokesman for the Russian Ministry for Emergencies told Itar-Tass the bus had two drivers and 10 passengers, including two children. It left Ust-Kamchatsk Monday morning despite government pleas for motorists to stay off roads, the report said.
A series of blizzards and storms have hit the area since the weekend, the Vladivostok Times reported.
The bus was bound for Klyuchi and was last seen about midway between the cities, the report said. The bus had no two-way radio and attempts to contact passengers who had cell phones were unsuccessful, the unidentified spokesman said.
He said there were hopes the bus had pulled over to wait out the storm and that searchers were still out but were being slowed by the storm.
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