The Russian Ministry for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Natural Disaster Relief has tested new equipment above the Arctic Circle, the ministry's Siberian Regional Center reported. Experts conducted simulated search-and-rescue operations on the Yamal Peninsula, Chukotka, in Yakutia and the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

Emergencies Ministry officers searched for missing tourists during the drills.

"A group of tourists failed to establish radio contact on time. Fortunately, rescue teams knew their route, but the search was hampered by bad weather. We received 15 pieces of Arctic equipment, including a KAMAZ emergency rescue vehicle, two Trekol SUVs and modern Russian-made snowmobiles for deep snowdrifts," Igor Kapitanets, deputy chief of the ministry's Siberian Regional Search and Rescue Unit, explained. Rescuers wore special-purpose clothing for use in subzero temperatures.

During the drill, they tested new equipment and gear, deployed a field camp in the tundra, found their bearings using navigation systems, administered first aid, and evacuated an injured person from the scene of an accident.