The expedition has left Krasnoyarsk on July 16 at 10:00 local time (photo1, photo2). They have flown over an auriferous land and some zones with fires, travelling on board of helicopter Mi-26 at 250 km/h. The helicopter landed on a small village Kuyumba for refuelling: in this village there is a lot of oil, but they have not money to extract it. The members thought to ENI (the italian national oil company), that rejected to sponsor of the expedition!
Before to going on, the members of the expedition made a swim in the river Stony Tunguska. The expedition arrived at the Ceko lake while it was raining. The helicopter tossed a little, but it landed well.
Yesterday they mounted the base camp on the Ceko lake. It is a hot summer there: 36 degrees Celsius on July 18. There are less mosquitos than during the previous expedition (1991), but many more horse-flies. In any case, there is a lot of insects!
Today, 18 July, the katamaran "Kulik" made the first run on the lake and
it is all right. Marine geologists recorded the first profile of the
bottom of the Ceko lake: at a first sight, it looks very interesting.
There are several interesting features that must be investigated in detail.
Bologna, 18 July 1999
For the Tunguska99 Press Office
Luigi Foschini
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