MOSCOW, September 9 (RIA Novosti) – Three people were killed after a helicopter crashed on Monday in Russia’s far eastern Sakhalin Island, the local emergencies ministry’s department said in a statement.
The Mil Mi-2 Hoplite light multi-purpose helicopter was monitoring rivers in the region, when it crashed some 30 kilometers from the nearest village of Dolinsk, the statement said, adding that there was no information on casualties as of yet.
An Antonov An-2 aircraft is set to take off from the airport of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk for a rescue operation, the statement added.
The Mi-2 is a lightly armored transport helicopter. Several thousand of them were produced exclusively in Poland until their production completely ceased in 1985.