About 300 Russians stuck at customs in Heihe due to freezing on the river
Hundreds of Russian travelers were stuck at customs in the Chinese city of Heihe for several days due to ice on the Amur River and cannot return to their homeland. The Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) reports this in its Telegram-channel.
It is known that in total there are about 300 Russian citizens at the Blagoveshchensk-Heihe checkpoint. Problems with the crossing began on November 3, when a ship arriving from Russia was unable to land on the shore due to ice on the river. The people on the ship waited for disembarkation for several hours, after which they were transferred to a Chinese ship. Then the Amur region authorities announced that passenger transportation was suspended. Tourists from both countries, having passed customs and border control, were turned back.
A day later, they tried to solve the problem: they used hovercraft to transport passengers, but there were not enough of them to ferry all the tourists. One of the hovercrafts broke down, and the remaining ship in service could accommodate no more than a dozen people. Today, the problem persists as the number of people wishing to return to their homeland is growing. Some of them have not been able to leave China for five days.
The Russians demanded to return them to their homeland
The Russians who spent several days at the checkpoint in the city of Heihe wrote an appeal addressed to the acting head of the Far Eastern Customs Administration, Yuri Kishinsky. They demanded to be returned to their homeland via a cross-border road bridge across the Amur. The letter also contained a complaint about the unorganized work of customs.
Travelers statedthat they do not have money for hotels, and their visas have expired. In addition, many have expired railway and air tickets to their place of residence. It is clarified that among those stuck there are Russians from different cities, including Krasnodar, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sochi, Birobidzhan.
We, tourists, have not been able to leave China for the fifth day, about two hundred people. We are complaining about the unorganized work of customs in the city of Blagoveshchensk. Among us there are children, disabled people (among them with diabetes, insulin has already run out), elderly people
Dissatisfied travelers began circulating online pictures of children and elderly Russians waiting to return home. They complainthat the queue is not moving forward, but there are more and more people.
It was reportedthat the carrier company AmurASSO does not provide food and water to its clients stuck in Heihe. Many have to spend the night right at the checkpoint because they have no money left for a hotel. People were unable to get a refund for their tickets: the carrier said that this could only be done in Russia. At the same time, it is impossible to purchase tickets from Chinese carriers, since they sell trips to Russia only to residents of the PRC.
Neither side is providing us with any help. We eat and rent a hotel at our own expense. We’ve been at customs since five in the morning. Today we spent the night here – the money is already running out. That’s why we live like this: on trunks and suitcases
Ice accumulations on the Amur prevent people from being evacuated
The Ministry of Economic Development of the Amur Region advises Russian tourists who have purchased organized tours to remain in contact with their tour operators. However, it is possible that among the citizens awaiting passage to their homeland there are also independent travelers.
Massive ice hummocks are now forming on the water surface, which not every hovercraft operating in this direction can overcome. Transportation is carried out by a limited number of hovercraft, which significantly reduces the number of passengers possible for transportation.
Hummocks in the coastal zone are being cleared. This process delays the departure of subsequent flights by several hours. It is clarified that only cargo transportation is currently carried out on the new cross-border road bridge across the Amur. The passenger checkpoint on the Russian side is not yet ready.
The Federal Customs Service (FCS) of Russia explained that the transportation of passengers is not within the competence of the customs authorities. Customs officers at the Blagoveshchensk-Heihe checkpoint are working as usual. They continue to process passengers and their luggage upon arrival. The Federal Customs Service assures that if passenger traffic increases, checkpoint employees are ready to increase its operating hours.
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