Mi-8T helicopter crash in Russia kills all 22 people on board

According to preliminary data from the investigative commission, the 22 occupants of the Mi-8T helicopter that crashed this Saturday in the Kamchatka Peninsulain the Far East of Russia, died in the accident.

“According to initial reports, crew members and passengers have died. There are no survivors,” a source at the commission was quoted as saying by Interfax.

Air crash in Russia

According to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, rescuers have found the bodies of 17 people at the crash site and are continuing to search for the other five occupants of the Mi-8T helicopter.

The helicopter, with three crew members and 19 passengers, had taken off from the Vachkazhets volcano and was heading to the town of Nikolaevka, located about 17 kilometres southwest of Elizovo International Airport.

The crashed aircraft belonged to the regional airline Vitiaz-Aero.

The source of the investigation, cited by Interfax, said the accident was most likely due to a “pilot error in adverse weather conditions.”

The possibility that the Mi-8T suffered a mechanical failure cannot be ruled out.

(With information from EFE)

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