At least 4 dead and 2 injured in helicopter crash in Kazakhstan's West

At least four people died in a chopper crash in Kazakhstan, the Kazakh Civil Aviation Committee said on Thursday. According to RFE/RL, the Mi-8 helicopter crashed during an unsuccessful landing attempt, thus killing four passengers and injuring two others. Those wounded were rushed to the city hospital.

As per the committee, the helicopter crashed about six kilometers away from the Chapurino village when the crew was in the middle of an inspection of a pipeline for KazTransOil, an energy company. Following the accident, a search team deployed by the Ministry of Emergency Situations arrived at the crash site to find survivors.

The Committee stated that "employees of the Department of Investigation of Transport Conditions of the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development flew to the scene". The chopper that crashed was a Mi-8AMT that was manufactured last year. It belonged to the Kazavikutkaru joint-stock company, which announced later their employees were involved in the crash. As per the Ministry of Emergencies, the helicopter was insured and had undergone a technical inspection earlier in January. 

Arkansas plane crash

Meanwhile, another fatal plane crash occurred thousands of miles away, in the American state of Arkansas. On Wednesday, a small twin-engine plane crashed while being en route to the John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Ohio. The accident, which occurred in the state's Pulaski County, did not leave behind any survivors. 

The deceased passengers were employees of the North Little Rock-based environmental consulting firm CTEH, which condoled the loss of lives. “We are incredibly saddened to report the loss of our Little Rock colleagues. We ask everyone to keep the families of those lost and the entire CTEH team in their thoughts and prayers," said CTEH senior vice president Paul Nony, according to The Arkansas Times.