MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The cause of the accident was not immediately clear, but the ministry said the landing took place in the dark and the weather conditions were severe.
"At 13:18 Moscow time [10:18GMT], a Mi-8 helicopter made a hard landing at the Sokol airfield while performing a routine flight," the ministry said, adding none of its crew members or passengers were hurt.
A source in the rescue services told RIA Novosti earlier today that the helicopter had caught fire after it crash-landed. Firefighters were able to contain the blaze. There were three crew members and seven passengers on board, the source said.
