Drone crashes into lake in eastern Latvia, explodes on impact

A drone crashed into a lake in eastern Latvia on the morning of May 23 and exploded on impact, prompting a large-scale response from emergency and security services, according to local authorities.

The incident occurred at around 8:00 a.m. local time in Lake Dridzas, located in Kumbuli parish in the Krāslava Municipality. According to the law enforcement sources, local residents alerted police after witnessing the crash, Caliber.Az reports via Latvian media. 

Authorities said the drone detonated upon hitting the water, though no injuries were reported.

Police officers arriving at the scene located what are believed to be fragments of the drone. Due to the size of the lake, additional resources were deployed, including police drone units, rescue personnel with boats from the State Fire and Rescue Service, and members of the National Armed Forces of Latvia.

Officials urged residents to avoid the area and report any debris they may find.

The Latvian military said its monitoring systems had not detected any violation of the country’s airspace, and therefore no air raid sirens were activated.

Acting Prime Minister Evika Siliņa said she remained in contact with relevant authorities and was awaiting further information on the incident.

Local officials in the Krāslava region stated that the situation was under control and that municipal assistance had not yet been requested. Preliminary reports also indicated fish deaths in the lake following the explosion.

By Sabina Mammadli