The victims plunged into the pool after dry ice was introduced into the water to create a smoke effect above the pool during the birthday of an Instagram star in Moscow. Spraying dry ice water, the solid form of carbon dioxide, can create eddies of smoke, but also cause an explosion.

Three people died at a birthday party in Moscow after diving into a pool into which some 30 kilograms of dry ice had been thrown, Russian investigators and media reported on Saturday.

Instagram star's birthday

Two people died on the spot and a third died at the hospital, the Russian committee of investigation specified, adding that an investigation had been opened. Four other people were injured. The party was organized in an aquatic center in the Russian capital to celebrate the birthday of Ekaterina Didenko, an Instagram star specializing in pharmaceutical products with more than a million subscribers. According to the TASS agency, Ekaterina Didenko's husband, Valentin, is among those killed.

The victims plunged into the pool after dry ice was introduced into the water to create a smoke effect above the pool, the Ria Novosti news agency said. Spraying dry ice water, the solid form of carbon dioxide, can create eddies of smoke, but also cause an explosion.