Four people have been confirmed killed after a Eurocopter AS350 helicopter belonging to UTair airlines crashed near an airfield in Russia’s Far East Yakutia region, UTair said on Wednesday.
“The AS350 that went down took off from Lensk with two passengers, a pilot and a mechanic on board. After four minutes, contact was lost with the aircraft. A rescue operation is underway. All on board are dead,” the company’s press service told RIA Novosti.
“The helicopter took off from Lensk at 12:07 p.m., destination 48th landing site 40 kilometers from Vitim,” Russia’s civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia said.
The local emergencies ministry said it had located the burning wreckage of the single-engine from the air at 4:40 p.m. Moscow time, 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from Lensk Airport.