Russia Helicopter Crash: 17 Bodies Found, 5 Still Missing From Ill-Fated Tourist Flight; Visuals Show Wreckage

Russia Helicopter Crash: Fragments of a Mi-8 helicopter with 22 people aboard have been found in Kamchatka, Russia. Rescuers have recovered the bodies of 17 victims and are continuing the search.

Russia Helicopter Crash: Fragments of the Mi-8 helicopter that went missing earlier have been discovered from the air, with the wreckage located at an altitude of 900 metres near the last known communication point, according to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. The ministry has since reported that rescuers have located the bodies of 17 people at the crash site. "Bodies of 17 people have been found already. The search continues," the ministry confirmed, according to the state-owned TASS news agency.

Currently, nine rescuers are working at the scene. Aerial footage released by Russia's emergency situations ministry depicted debris scattered on a slope near the top of a large wooded hill. The ministry confirmed that the helicopter was discovered near the location where it lost contact.

The Mi-8 helicopter, operated by Vityaz-Aero, was en route from the Vachkazhets mountain range to Nikolayevka with 22 people on board, including 19 passengers and three crew members. The crew was expected to make radio contact at approximately 7:15 am Moscow time on August 31, but communication was lost.

Emergency services suggest that the crash may have resulted from a piloting error, with the helicopter likely colliding with a mountain under low visibility conditions, TASS reported.

Probe Launched Into Russian Plane Crash

Emergency services reported that the helicopter disappeared from radar almost immediately after takeoff, although the crew had not indicated any issues prior to losing contact. The Kamchatka Hydrometeorological Centre recorded low visibility in the area near Nikolaevka airport, close to where the helicopter lost contact.

In response to the disappearance, a search operation was launched involving another helicopter and a ground rescue team. Furthermore, a criminal case has been initiated concerning violations of traffic safety rules and the operation of air transport. The Kamchatka Investigative Department for Transport of the Eastern MCUT Investigative Committee of Russia has opened an investigation under Article 263 of the Russian Federation's Criminal Code, addressing violations related to traffic safety and air transport operations.

Accidents involving aircraft are frequent in Russia's far eastern region, where vast and sparsely populated areas are often accessible only by helicopter. In August 2021, a Mi-8 helicopter carrying 16 people, including 13 tourists, crashed into a lake in Kamchatka due to poor visibility, resulting in eight fatalities. Earlier in July of the same year, a plane crash during landing on the peninsula resulted in the deaths of all 22 passengers and six crew members.