Eighteen people have died in a Russian helicopter crash in north-western Siberia, officials say.
n its way to an oil station in northern Siberia in the early hours of the morning. The Russian Transport Ministry said the Mi-8 helicopter carrying three crew members and 15 passengers crashed when it collided with machinery carried by another helicopter soon after take-off. Photo: AFP
Russia's emergencies ministry said the MI-8 went down at 10.20am local time, about 180km from the town of Igarka, in Krasnoyarsk Territory.
Everyone on board - three crew members and 15 passengers - was killed.
The helicopter was reportedly taking workers to an oil station. A criminal investigation is under way.
Initial assessments have suggested that the aircraft's blades struck cargo being carried by another helicopter just after take-off. It fell to the ground and burst into flames.
The second helicopter was able to land safely.
A government official, Svetlana Petrenko, said authorities were investigating allegations of negligence and whether safety guidelines had been violated.
Both aircraft belong to Russian national airline Utair.
The helicopter's black box flight recorders have been recovered and appear undamaged, Russian news agency TASS quoted law enforcement agencies as saying.
The Russian Transport Ministry said the incident happened in "normal" weather conditions.
- BBC