Helicopter goes missing in far eastern Russia with 22 people on board
Al JazeeraAug 19
Helicopter Crash Kills 22 On Board in Eastern Russia
Above: A Mi-8 military helicopter flies over Moscow during the Victory Day military parade in Red Square, Moscow, Russia. Image copyright: Alexey Maishev/Host Photo Agency/Handout/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Russia's emergencies situations ministry on Sunday said that rescuers have found 17 bodies after a Soviet-era Mi-8T helicopter crashed with 22 people aboard in Russia's Far Eastern region of Kamchatka on Saturday. There were no survivors.
The helicopter had set off from a site near the region's Vachkazhets volcano. Its wreckage was found the next day at an altitude of 900 meters (about 3K feet) close to the location where its three-member crew had last made contact.
The Spin
Narrative A
Due to its fast-changing, harsh, and sub-Arctic weather, accidents involving helicopters are commonplace in the sparsely populated and wild region of the Kamchatka peninsula. Bad weather and poor visibility while a cyclone was in effect most likely caused Saturday's crash.
Narrative B
Though the investigation to ascertain the cause of the crash is ongoing, it can't be overlooked that the helicopter was designed in the Soviet era. The authorities should be held accountable for allowing an ancient aircraft with a chequered record to fly in harsh conditions in the first place.