Story By: Anastasia Smirnova, Sub-Editor:  Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News

This pretty editor-in-chief of a Russian news agency has died aged just 29 while after crashing a snowmobile into a tree while covering a local dog sledding competition.

Maria Netrebenko, who was editor-in-chief of the regional Kamchatka news agency, died in a snowmobile accident at the Vitaly Fatyanov Biathlon Centre in the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in the north-eastern Russian region of Kamchatka Krai.

The last assignment the 29-year-old journalist covered was the Beringia dog sled race.

According to local media, Netrebenko decided to ride a Lynx 600 Ace snowmobile with her colleague Leysan Latypova, 37, while covering the dog sled event.

The young journalist was steering the snowmobile when she lost control and crashed into a tree, according to reports.

Netrebenko was reportedly killed in the accident while Latypova was hospitalised with multiple injuries, although doctors do not consider her condition to be life threatening.

Colleagues and fellow professionals described her as an energetic and adventurous person who loved to travel the world.

One colleague at the Kamchatka news agency said: “Her experience, great editorial instinct and high level of professionalism helped to take our agency’s TV news to another level.

“She was a charming, incredibly cheerful, and smart person who was gifted with the remarkable skill of being able to win people over and find interesting aspects in what seemed like dull and everyday for Kamchatka residents.”

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