Tuesday 2 July 2013

Russia: 19 die in helicopter crash in Siberia


Russian authorities say 19 people have died after a helicopter carrying 28 people, including 11 children, crashed in a remote Siberian region of Yakutia.

The Interstate Aviation Committee, Russia's top aviation body, said that a Mi-8 helicopter crash-landed in a remote mountainous area on Tuesday, dozens of miles away from the nearest village, and caught fire.

"There were three crew members and 25 passengers on board," the Interstate Aviation Committee said in a statement. "Nineteen people died, the aircraft burnt down," said the statement, citing the surviving crew members.

Of the 25 passengers 11 were children, the emergencies ministry said in a separate statement without providing further details.

Officials did not immediately comment on the cause of the crash.

The people died when the helicopter performed a hard landing, apparently in bad weather conditions, 45 kilometres (28 miles) northwest of the small town of Deputatsky in the Yakutia region in Russia's north.

A plane with rescuers and medics on board has arrived at the crash site, said the emergencies ministry, adding that helicopters with more medics and rescue workers have also been dispatched to the scene.

Russia's aviation industry remains blighted by repeated accidents involving its ageing fleet of planes and helicopters.

Tuesday 2 July 2013

http://news.yahoo.com/russia-19-die-helicopter-crash-siberia-075000344.html

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