An Mi-8 helicopter crashed into Kuril Lake in Kamchatka. The incident happened in the area of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve.
According to the RT telegram channel, there were three crew members and 13 passengers on board, including a child.
It is noted that, according to media reports, the passengers are tourists from Moscow and St. Petersburg.
What is known so far
According to the TV channel, 8 of the 16 people who were on board the sunken helicopter remained inside.
Later, the regional Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that the helicopter was lying at a depth of about 125 meters.
The Telegram channel reports that the crashed helicopter belongs to the AK Vityaz-Aero company.
Divers have arrived at the scene, but they cannot yet reach the aircraft.
At the same time, 8 citizens are known to have been rescued. According to some reports, they managed to swim to the surface of the lake on their own. They were taken to the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky hospital.
Eight people have not yet been found, including a child. It is assumed that their bodies are at the bottom of the lake. By the way, the child’s father was among those rescued.
“There was a loud bang”
Employees of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, on whose territory the incident occurred, were at the scene of the emergency within a few minutes.
According to the district state inspector of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, Evgeniy Denges, at 09:25 (18:25 Minsk time) there was fog on the lake, visibility was no more than 100 meters.
We heard the sound of a helicopter, but did not see it. Judging by the sound, it flew over the lake and began to turn towards the cordon. Then there was a loud bang as the helicopter hit the water,” he says.
A few minutes later, reserve staff on two boats reached the crash site – they noticed 8 people on the surface of the water.
The victims were immediately lifted onto the boats and taken to shore. Two were seriously injured and are currently in intensive care.
We began to provide first aid to the victims and warm them up. We drove around the lake several times in search of other people, but found no one, – noted Evgeniy Denges.
Swim up from the depths
By the way, the water temperature in the lake where the helicopter fell is no more than five to six degrees Celsius, the Kronotsky Nature Reserve reported.
The passengers who managed to escape swam from a depth of 8-9 meters. They said the helicopter was sinking nose down.
The impact with the water caused the rear doors to open, through which the passengers swam out.
The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case regarding violation of traffic safety rules and operation of air transport.
We would like to add that the cause of the incident has not yet been established. However, the Vityaz-Aero company reported that the pilots were experienced.
