Russians Wage Desperate Battle To Avert Tragedy

Sprayber · January 20, 2004, 19:16

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.j...toryID=4166895

Quote:

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has sent in the army to bolster a week-long struggle to rescue 10 tons of beer trapped under Siberian ice, Itar-Tass news agency said Tuesday. A lorry carrying the beer sank when trying to cross the frozen Irtysh river, and a rescue team of six divers, 10 workers and a modified T-72 tank from the emergencies ministry have so far failed to save the load.
"The situation hasn't developed according to our ideal scenario," the deputy head of the Cherlaksky region, told the agency. Temperatures were around minus 27 degrees Celsius (minus 17 degrees Fahrenheit) in the region, near the Siberian city of Omsk and around 1,400 miles from Moscow.

A week-long effort to cut a 100 yard corridor to the river bank to pull the truck to dry land failed when the vehicle was swept away from the rescue site, Tass said.

But it said the soldiers were confident it would take them just a day to retrieve the beer.

Will America send aid?

Japher · January 20, 2004, 19:18

Quote:

when the vehicle was swept away from the rescue site, Tass said.

Yeah, right... I bet Tass pushed it in just fer sheits and giggles

That sure is some cold beer though. It has probably all exploded by now anyway.

GePap · January 20, 2004, 19:24

OH MY GOD! WE MUST DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO HELP! STOP EVERYTHING!

asleepathewheel · January 20, 2004, 19:26

If its russian beer, then just let it go, its not worth the trouble.

GePap · January 20, 2004, 19:38

Quote:

Originally posted by asleepathewheel
If its russian beer, then just let it go, its not worth the trouble.

I have had many excellent Russian beers.

If it were Bud, I'd say blow up the truck as well....

asleepathewheel · January 20, 2004, 19:46

Quote:

Originally posted by GePap

I have had many excellent Russian beers.

If it were Bud, I'd say blow up the truck as well....

I would shed not a tear for lost bud or bud lite.

Nubclear · January 20, 2004, 19:53

Quote:

Originally posted by Japher

Yeah, right... I bet Tass pushed it in just fer sheits and giggles

Beer is ungodly.

Winston · January 20, 2004, 19:54

What a nightmare.

Still, good to see that at least some Russian soldiers finally found something meaningful to do.

Seeker · January 20, 2004, 20:09

I wonder what will be on the cover of the russian equivalent of 'Time':

Person of the Year: The Russian Soldier--> The True Story of One Rifle Section's Heroic Attempts to Find Some Booze: Told by an Embedded Reporter.

Sprayber · January 20, 2004, 20:20

Are there any good Russian beers.

Alexander's Horse · January 20, 2004, 20:46

So in years to come archeologists searching for mammoths will get an early Christmas.

GhengisFarb™ · January 20, 2004, 23:54

Quote:

Originally posted by Japher
That sure is some cold beer though.

Thats what I was thinking. Is this Russia's new freeze-brewing system?

Boris Godunov · January 20, 2004, 23:57

If it's been stuck that long, I'd wager it's frozen, which means it's ruined.

Requiem aeternam...

Lancer · January 21, 2004, 00:03

"So in years to come archeologists searching for mammoths will get an early Christmas."

Wouldn't the alchohol keep it from freezing? If it did freeze, the alcohol wouldn't, right? So you could still get drunk on it?

Boris Godunov · January 21, 2004, 00:08

Beer doesn't have enough alcohol in it to prevent it from freezing when exposed to enough cold. Trust me, have had it happen many times.

It would still have alcohol, but it would taste revolting.

Lancer · January 21, 2004, 00:13

"It would still have alcohol, but it would taste revolting."

The Russians know this I'm sure, Siberia being so cold, yet they still try to rescue the truck. Maybe they'll distill off the alcohol? Maybe they'll just drink the foul brew. They're tough...

Winston · January 21, 2004, 00:14

It's stuck under water, it can't very well be frozen.

The truck was crossing the river, the ice broke, the trunk sank to the bottom... So it'll take a major fall in local temperatures for it to freeze. And if that happened, the soldiers would be a little off trying to pull it ashore.

Boris Godunov · January 21, 2004, 00:16

Well, if it were salt water, it could very well be below freezing. At -17 Farenheit, that's certainly a possibility.

Winston · January 21, 2004, 00:19

Rivers in the middle of Siberia rarely contain salt water as far as I've been told.

Lancer · January 21, 2004, 00:20

Siberia ***hole deep in salt water rivers?

Boris Godunov · January 21, 2004, 00:22

I wouldn't know about the salinity of Siberian rivers, honestly.

GePap · January 21, 2004, 00:25

Aren't rivers by definition fresh water?

Winston · January 21, 2004, 00:26

You'll only find saline solutions high enough to matter in this case where a river meets the ocean or in extended delta areas. Neither of which are anywhere near Omsk.

Lancer · January 21, 2004, 00:26

"Aren't rivers by definition fresh water?"

You may have a point here.

Excepting of course the tidal estuaries.

Serb · January 21, 2004, 02:31

I live in Omsk. Our main river Irtysh isn't salty as any normal river. If truck is underwater the beer wouldn't freeze by definition, because water can't be colder than 0 C, otherwise this "water" called "ice". But who cares about the beer? They try to recover the truck, it cost much more than beer. I don't see why it's a big deal and what's so funny. Like American or anyone else trucks never felt underwater and were never recovered.

Our beer is quite OK. In our city we have the largest brewery in whole Siberia.
Apolyton was the first place where I heard about this story.

The Mad Monk · January 21, 2004, 03:05

I think cars that end up underwater -- especially for extended periods -- are considered "totaled" here.

Saras · January 21, 2004, 03:12

I like StPetersburg brewed Baltikas - all sorts of them.

Alexander's Horse · January 21, 2004, 03:14

I can see it now - several hundred Russian drunks freeze over the winter trying to dig out the booze.

Serb · January 21, 2004, 04:09

Quote:

Originally posted by The Mad Monk
I think cars that end up underwater -- especially for extended periods -- are considered "totaled" here.

And you just let them laid underwater and never recover them, right?

Serb · January 21, 2004, 04:10

Quote:

Originally posted by Saras
I like StPetersburg brewed Baltikas - all sorts of them.

N7 is the best of them.