(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-09-14 17:04

HOTAN - Eight air-dropped Chinese rescuers on Friday morning arrived at the spot where the possessions of the six missing Russian tourists in Xinjiang were found.

Besides local police, an expert from the Xinjiang Sports Bureau joined the search along the upper reaches of the Yurungkax River.

A helicopter began its fifth search at 9:30 am on Friday and air-dropped the rescuers to the river area at 10:35 am.

Canoes and clothes confirmed to have been abandoned by the six Russians were found on Wednesday during the third search mission.

The six Russian tourists failed to show up to meet their Chinese interpreter in Hotan as scheduled on September 2 after they set off on a canoeing trip on the Yurungkax River in mid-August.

Xinhua identified the missing as Vladimir Smetannikov, Sergey Chernik, Andrey Pautov, Dmitry Tishchenko, Ivan Chernik and Alexander Zverev, with the youngest aged 25 and the oldest 47.