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Three killed in helicopter crash in Russia’s Eastern Siberia

04 July 2012 20:43 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Three people died in a helicopter crash in Russia’s Eastern Siberian republic of Sakha on Wednesday, said the Russian Investigation Committee (IC),APA reports quoting Xinhua.

In a statement posted on its website, the IC confirmed a small helicopter AS-350 belonging to the UTair airline crashed near the town of Lensk.

"There were three people on board the helicopter, according to preliminary data," the IC said.

The helicopter was en route from the town of Bratsk in Southern Siberia to a village Tolokan in the Sakha republic with a stop- over in Lensk.

At 6:08 p.m. local time (0808 GMT), after refuelling the helicopter took off from Lensk. When the crew did not establish contacts with the ground control 13 minutes later, the alarm was sounded.

A few hours later, the rescue team found the helicopter’s wreckage in the mountainous terrain 4 km off Lensk.

UTair also confirmed the loss of the helicopter. The cause of the crash has not been found yet.

AS-350 is a single engine helicopter with four seats. UTair, the largest Russian airline by the size of its helicopter fleet, has 12 helicopters of that class.

Since March 2007, UTair has lost two planes and four helicopters in six accidents, resulting in 49 deaths.