Russian Kamchatka Helicopter Crash... "8 of 16 Passengers Dead"

Appearance of Mi-8 helicopter [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] On the 12th (local time), a Mi-8 transport helicopter carrying 16 people, including tourists and crew members, crashed into a lake in Kamchatka, Russian Far East, resulting in the deaths of 8 people.

According to Russian news agencies TASS and Interfax, at around 9:30 a.m. that day, a Mi-8 helicopter carrying 13 tourists and 3 crew members crashed into Kurilskoe Lake within the Kronotsky Nature Reserve in the southeastern part of Kamchatka Krai.

Kurilskoe Lake is the third largest lake in the area, with an average depth of 195 meters and a maximum depth of 316 meters.

The accident helicopter was transporting tourists from Moscow and Saint Petersburg to the Hodutka volcano near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the capital of Kamchatka Krai.

A local health official told Interfax, "Eight people, including one crew member, have died," adding, "The other eight were rescued and their lives are not in danger."

Experts estimate that the deceased are inside the helicopter, which sank to the bottom of the lake at a depth of about 100 meters.

Six surviving passengers and two crew members escaped from the sinking helicopter, swam to the surface, and were rescued by staff from the nature reserve who were conducting rescue operations.

A nature reserve staff member involved in the rescue said, "I heard that the survivors swam up to the surface from a depth of 8 to 9 meters."

Among the survivors, five were urgently transported to the state hospital in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky for treatment, with two reported to be in critical condition.

Disaster authorities dispatched over 40 rescue workers, including divers, to the accident site to conduct search and rescue operations, but they are reportedly facing difficulties due to a lack of deep-sea search equipment.

The cause of the accident is presumed to be bad weather and pilot error.

A source from the transportation supervision authority told Interfax, "A technical problem occurred during the flight, and the captain attempted an emergency landing, but due to heavy fog, a mistake was made, and the helicopter appears to have crashed into the lake."

The accident helicopter is owned by a local airline called 'Vityazi-Aero,' established in 2009. Vityazi-Aero has been operating tours transporting tourists to remote areas that are difficult to access by helicopter.

Additionally, TASS reported that pre-flight inspections were conducted, and no technical issues were found, and the pilots did not report any special flight problems.

However, Interfax noted that the helicopter in question was manufactured in 1984, making it nearly 40 years old, and its operating permit is set to expire in June next year.

Investigators are examining whether there were any violations of aviation safety regulations.

In Kamchatka last month, an Antonov (An)-26 aircraft operated by a local airline also crashed, killing all 19 people on board.

Although Russia is considered to have improved its awareness of aviation safety compared to the past, AFP pointed out that aircraft maintenance and compliance with safety regulations remain ongoing issues.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.