Rescue teams have resumed search operations at the crash site of a Mi-8 helicopter in Kamchatka, the press service of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry told RIA Novosti.
“As dawn broke on September 2, Kamchatka rescuers continued their search operations in the area of the Vachkazhets mountain range, where a Mi-8 helicopter belonging to Vityaz-Aero with tourists on board crashed.” – says the message.
Earlier, the Kamchatka Transport Investigation Department of the Eastern MSUT of the Investigative Committee of Russia opened a criminal case following the loss of contact with the Mi-8 helicopter under Article 263 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Violation of the rules of road safety and operation of air transport”.
The Mi-8, which was en route from a landing site in the Vachkazhets ridge to the village of Nikolaevka in the Elizovsky district on August 31, never reached its destination. There is no communication with the aircraft crew. According to preliminary information, there may have been 19 passengers and three crew members on board. The Ministry of Emergency Situations later reported that 17 bodies were found at the crash site.
