Russia Helicopter crash: 8 feared missing, rescuers begin search ops in Kuril Lake

Eight people feared dead as a helicopter carrying tourists crashed into a deep volcanic crater lake on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's far east on Thursday, officials said. Rescue operations are underway following the crash and workers are searching for survivors in Kurile Lake, which was formed in a volcano caldera and crater, after the helicopter crashed in the Kronotsky nature reserve, according to the regional administration.

The figures can not be reconciled right now

Russian news agency RIA Novosti said Russia's Emergencies Ministry reported 13 tourists and three crew members were aboard the Mi-8 helicopter, and eight individuals have survived, while two of them were in serious condition. Regional officials first told Interfax that nine individuals, including two pilots survived the crash, but later stated that just eight people were rescued, with the search for the rest is underway. The disparate figures could not be reconciled right away. The majority of the victims were from Moscow and St. Petersburg.

According to the reports, the helicopter is submerged at a depth of roughly 100 metres in Kurile Lake, which is up to 316 metres deep and covers an area of 77 square kilometres. Vityaz-Aero, a local private carrier, flew the helicopter, which was built during the Soviet era 37-year-ago. It had recently undergone maintenance, according to its director, and was in good working order.

The Mi-8 helicopter is a two-engine helicopter that was developed in the 1960s. It is commonly used in Russia and many other countries. According to RIA Novosti, the region where the crash occurred can only be accessible by helicopters, and the fog was hindering rescue efforts which were being carried out by a number of local emergency personnel, including three divers.

More about Kamchatka

Kamchatka, a pristine peninsula dotted with volcanoes, is renowned for its rough beauty and diverse species. On Kamchatka, the Kronotsky reserve, which contains Russia's only geyser basin, is a popular tourist destination, with helicopters regularly transporting visitors there. Flights are frequently jeopardised by rapidly shifting weather. The An-26 passenger plane crashed on Kamchatka last month as it approached an airfield during severe weather, killing all 28 people on board.  

(Inputs from AP News)
(Image- @ludiaapynz/Twitter)