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Russian Mi-8 helicopter crash in Kamchatka claims 22 lives

A Russian Mi-8 helicopter went missing on 31 August and was later found crashed in Kamchatka at Russia’s Far East. All 22 people aboard, including 19 passengers and 3 crew members, died. The wreckage was discovered at 900 meters elevation, with dense fog suspected as the cause.

byYuri Zoria

01/09/2024

2 minute read

Russian Kamchatka, Vachkazhets volcano. Illustrative photo. Credit: Kamchatkaland

Russian Mi-8 helicopter crash in Kamchatka claims 22 lives

A Russian Mi-8 helicopter that went missing on 31 August has been found crashed in Kamchatka, in Russia’s Far East (Pacific region), with all 22 people on board confirmed dead, per Russia’s news agencies. The wreckage was discovered at an elevation of 900 meters.

The Mil Mi-8 is a medium helicopter, originally designed in the 1960s and introduced into the Soviet Air Force in 1968. Russian production of the aircraft model continues as of 2024 for both military and civilian use.

The helicopter, operated by Vityaz-Aero airline, was carrying 19 passengers and three crew members when it disappeared from radar on 31 August. Among the passengers was reportedly the financial director of the Russian Football Union, Arseny Zamyatin, and his wife.

Russian emergency services reported that they had spotted the wreckage from the air in the morning. The debris was found near the area where the helicopter last made contact. A rescue helicopter with eight emergency specialists was dispatched to the crash site.

According to preliminary information from Russian sources, the helicopter may have collided with a hill in dense fog.

TASS, a Russian state-funded news agency, reported that 17 bodies of the crash victims have been found at the site, according to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.

The Mi-8 helicopter took off from the area of the Vachkazhets volcano in Kamchatka. It was due to establish communication at around 07:15 yesterday Moscow time but failed to do so.

This incident follows another helicopter crash in Russia on 25 July, when a Russian military Mi-28 helicopter crashed in Kaluga Oblast due to technical malfunction, resulting in the death of its crew.

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