UTair helicopter crashes in Russia’s Far East, killing 4
Posted on 07-06 at 07:34:44 CST
LENSK, RUSSIA (BNO NEWS) — A helicopter operated by UTair Aviation for an oil and gas company crashed in Russia’s Far East on early Wednesday evening, killing at least three of the four people on board, local authorities said on Thursday. The fourth person is presumed to have died as well.
The Eurocopter AS350 was flying from the city of Bratsk in Irkutsk Oblast to the town of Talakan in the Sakha Republic, but made a stop in the city of Lensk for refueling. It took off from Lensk Airport at 6:25 p.m. local time on Wednesday and disappeared from radar several minutes later.
"At 10:34 p.m. local time, debris was found in a remote area just 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) from the runway at Lensk Airport," a spokesperson for Russia’s Investigative Committee said. "As a result of search-and-rescue operations at the crash site, the charred remains of three victims have been found, as well as pieces of the engine and the tail of the helicopter."
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