Russian Explorers Claim Record Dive into Frozen Siberian Lake

Russian explorers claimed Wednesday that they have created a record in diving to the bottom of Labynkyr - one of the world's coldest lakes, reports Agence France-Presse news agency.

Lake Labynkyr is located in the Siberian village of Oymyakon in Yakutia, where temperatures drop to -96 degree Fahrenheit (-71 Celsius). An old legend claims that Labynkyr is inhabited by a Loch Ness-like water monster called "the devil". The lake is located in a "Pole of Cold," one of the three places on Earth with the coldest air temperatures.

A crew of 10 Russian explorers, including Russian Emergencies Ministry, camera people from the Sakha National Broadcasting Company and scientists from Yakutsk State University, dived to the bottom of Labynkyr at the coldest time of the year - in the middle of winter when the outside temperature was -49 Fahrenheit (-45 degrees Celsius).

"A world record has been established. For the first time in history, a human being has carried out a dive in the toughest place on earth at the coldest time of the year," the local Yakutia authorities said in a statement.

The leader of the group, Dmitry Shiller, took footage of the lake's bottom and managed to collect samples of the water, flora and fauna. This is the first time that a human has been able to gather samples from the lake. Earlier attempts to study the lake involved remote-controlled robots or echo sounders, a report by RT.com said.

Sonar equipment tracked some bizarre large objects in the lake, but their identity could not be confirmed. The Russian Geographical Society said that they "did not meet a monster at the bottom of the lake," but were trying to enter their achievement in the Guinness Book of Records, the AFP report said.