Russian tourist helicopter crashes, kills all 22 people on board
Sep 02, 2024
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A helicopter carrying 22 people, including passengers, went missing near the Batskets volcano in Nikolaevka, the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, on the 31st (local time), according to Russia's TASS news agency and the British media Daily Mail. The helicopter was known to be a Mil Mi-8 aircraft belonging to Vitiaz Airlines, with 19 tourists and three crew members on board.
The search party found the wreckage of the helicopter about 900 meters above sea level the next day, Sept. 1.
Seventeen bodies were found at the scene, and search teams are searching for other missing passengers.
However, in the aftermath of the shock, it was estimated that everyone died.
Russian media quoted authorities as saying that `All the occupants were killed and it is highly likely that the helicopter crashed due to poor visibility due to bad weather such as fog.'
Meanwhile, the Russian government had no comment on the accident, but the Kamchatka region declared September 3 a day of mourning.
bellho@sportschosun.com
