MOSCOW, June 30 (RIA Novosti) — All crew and passengers aboard the Mi-8 helicopter that crashed in Russia’s Far Eastern Khabarovsk Territory earlier in the day are alive, a spokesman for Russia’s Federal Forestry Agency (Rosleskhoz) said Monday.
“They made contact — everyone is alive. The helicopter burned up,” Rosleskhoz spokesman Vladimir Dmitriyev said, confirming earlier reports from law enforcement sources that the crashed Mi-8 caught fire.
The helicopter, with at least 14 people on board, crashed shortly before noon in a remote Far Eastern area. Sources from Russian law enforcement agencies suggested there were a total of 17 people onboard the Mi-8 transport helicopter, four crew members and 13 passengers, but the emergencies ministry confirmed there were just 14 people on the aircraft.
The Mi-8 is a multipurpose helicopter suitable for a range of constantly expanding tasks, as the aircraft is modernized by equipping it with a wide range of additional hardware. The Soviet-designed helicopter performs well in various conditions and temperatures, and is easy to operate and maintain. The Mi-8 is one of the world’s most widely used transport helicopters.
