MOSCOW, July 3 (RIA Novosti) – Twenty four people died when a Russian helicopter crash-landed in eastern Siberia, the Emergency Situations Ministry said Wednesday.
“Rescuers have found 24 bodies at the site of the crash,” a ministry spokesman said.
The pilot of the Mi-8 chopper, which came down on Tuesday morning, managed to contact rescuers overnight by satellite phone, allowing his position to be pinpointed.
The rescue operation has involved about 400 people and nine aircraft in the vast eastern republic of Yakutia.
A ministry spokesman earlier said four people had survived the crash, adding that “rescuers evacuated three survivors by helicopter and will later return to take the fourth.”
Three of the survivors are crew members, the fourth is a 12-year-old boy, emergencies ministry spokesman Oleg Voronov said.
He said the child, who was diagnosed with a spinal fracture, received first aid on site and will soon be transported to a hospital.
A law enforcement source said the remaining 24 people on board had died.
Changes headline and lede to say 24 people confirmed dead
