Moscow [Russia], September 2: The crash site of a helicopter that had gone missing on the Russian peninsula of Kamchatka in the Russian Far East has been found along with the bodies of 17 of the 22 people on board, the Russian Ministry of Civil Defence reported on Sunday.
Radio contact with the Mi-8 helicopter and its crew had been lost on Saturday near the Vachkazhets volcano.
The Kamchatka peninsula is popular with tourists for its natural beauty and volcanic landscape. There were 19 tourists and 3 crew members on board Ministry of Civil Defence in Moscow said. The search for the remaining five occupants continues. The helicopter did not arrive at the landing site in the village of Nikolayevka at the scheduled time, according to reports.
Dense fog in the area initially prevented a search by air for the helicopter on Saturday but ground teams were able to search the remote terrain.
According to reports, the helicopter wreckage was discovered at an altitude of around 900 metres - not far from where the last radio contact had been made. The aviation authority is investigating the accident, the Russian news agency TASS reported. Helicopters are an important means of transport on the peninsula 6,800 kilometres east of Moscow, but there are frequent crashes. The weather in the region often changes abruptly.
Helicopter excursions are particularly popular with tourists on Kamchatka during the holiday month of August. Private companies offer trips to reserves where bears live in the wild or landings on volcanoes.
Source: Qatar Tribune
