Rescue efforts in Russia’s Far East have concluded with the somber revelation that none of the 22 individuals aboard a helicopter that vanished on Saturday survived the catastrophic crash.
The aircraft had departed from a base near the Vachkazhets volcano in Kamchatka, an area prized by tourists for its unique volcanic landscapes, BBC reports.
On Sunday, rescue teams located the wreckage and recovered 17 bodies, serving as a poignant reminder of the devastating consequences of this tragedy. While the exact circumstances surrounding the crash remain unclear, authorities are working tirelessly to unravel the mystery.
Russia’s far-eastern region, characterized by its sparse population and unforgiving climate, has a disturbing history of accidents involving aircraft.
This propensity for tragedy was once again underscored when a helicopter carrying 19 tourists and three crew members vanished from radar on Saturday, only to be discovered in a ravaged state the following morning.
The Mi-8T helicopter’s wreckage was located in a rugged, hilly area, as announced by Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov via Telegram.
Video footage shared by Russia’s Emergencies Ministry revealed the stark aftermath, with debris scattered near a slope adjacent to a densely wooded hill. Notably, the recovery site correlated with the location where radar contact was lost.
According to Ivan Lemikhov, a senior official from Russia’s Emergency Ministry, the exhaustive search operation has thus far yielded the recovery of 17 bodies from the tragic helicopter crash.
However, with daylight fading, the search efforts for the remaining missing individuals have been temporarily suspended, with plans to resume at dawn on Monday.
Meanwhile, preliminary investigations suggest that pilot error, potentially exacerbated by dense fog, is emerging as the primary theory behind the catastrophic crash, as reported by Russia’s Interfax news agency.
Earlier, officials highlighted the challenging conditions posed by thick fog, which significantly impeded rescue efforts.