Helicopter Carrying 22 People Goes Missing in Eastern Russia

A helicopter carrying 22 individuals has gone missing in the Kamchatka region of Russia’s far east.

The Mi-8 helicopter had just departed from the vicinity of the Vachkazhets ancient volcano and was en route to the village of Nikolayevka, approximately 16 miles to the east. Reports from TASS indicate that contact was lost around 4:15 p.m. local time.

Kamchatka’s Governor, Vladimir Solodov, shared the news through a video on Telegram, revealing that there were 19 passengers aboard, most of whom were tourists, along with a crew of three.

The weather service for the region mentioned that visibility was likely to be poor around the time the helicopter disappeared.

Prior to losing contact, the helicopter’s crew did not report any issues or emit distress signals.

Geographically, the Kamchatka peninsula lies 3,728 miles east of Moscow and 1,242 miles west of Alaska, highlighting its remote location.

The Mi-8, which is a twin-engine helicopter, was designed in the 1960s, showcasing its long history in aviation.

This isn’t the first incident involving the Mi-8 in Kamchatka. In August 2021, a helicopter of the same model crashed into a lake in the area due to poor visibility, resulting in the fatalities of eight people. That incident involved a total of sixteen individuals, including thirteen tourists.

Additionally, just a month earlier in July 2021, a plane crashed during landing on the peninsula, claiming the lives of all 28 occupants, which included 22 passengers and six crew members.

The ongoing search for the missing helicopter and its passengers continues, but details remain scarce as authorities work to gather information in the challenging conditions of the region.