Vladivostok: In the far eastern Amur region of Russia, a helicopter crash claimed the lives of three people, including a pilot and two passengers. Rescue teams confirmed the incident on Tuesday.
According to local emergency services in the Zeya district, the Robinson R66 helicopter, which went missing on Monday, was found near the location where its emergency beacon had been activated.
An official stated, “The helicopter has been found, and the deaths of all three people on board have been confirmed.”
Initial reports indicated that the helicopter’s emergency beacon signal was received on Monday evening. A search and rescue operation involving 20 personnel and seven equipment units was then launched.
According to the Xinhua News Agency, the helicopter belonged to the gold mining company, Hergeu. It was flying over the company’s territory when it went missing.
The wreckage was discovered by rescue teams on Tuesday afternoon, just a few hours after the search began.
The Russian Investigative Committee’s Eastern Interregional Transport Department has opened a criminal case in connection with the helicopter’s disappearance.
Earlier this month, a similar incident occurred in the country’s Kamchatka region, where 22 people were killed in an Mi-8T helicopter crash.
According to emergency services, the Mi-8T helicopter disappeared from radar shortly after takeoff, despite the crew not reporting any issues before losing contact.