Horrifying moment tourist helicopter crashes in a fireball ‘killing at least six’ after ‘hitting overhead cables while trying to land’ in Russia
- Horror footage shows moment the Mi-8 passenger helicopter burst into flames
- Chopper was coming into land when it violently lurched to the left and crashed
Six people were killed and at least seven seriously injured when a tourist helicopter erupted in a huge fireball after slamming into a field during an ill-fated sightseeing trip in Russia this morning.
Shocking footage shows the moment the Mi-8 passenger helicopter burst into flames as it careened into the turf following a tour of Russia’s Altai mountains.
The exact cause of the crash is yet to be confirmed, though one report highlighted by Russia’s Emergency Ministry indicated the helicopter had hit overhead electric cables which destabilised its controls, while another suggested a wiring problem on the aircraft.
The pilot did not appear to be struggling for control on the helicopter’s approach, and the craft gently reduced its altitude and hovered mere feet off the ground, as if about to land.
All of a sudden, the chopper began rotating and then violently lurched to the left, rising away from the ground again before pitching over and slamming sideways into the grass.
The pilot did not appear to be struggling for control on the helicopter’s approach, and the craft gently reduced its altitude and hovered mere feet off the ground
All of a sudden, the chopper began rotating and then violently lurched to the left, rising away from the ground again before pitching over
The helicopter caught fire moments after impact and quickly became a raging inferno
At least six people were killed and seven were seriously injured in the crash. The extent of the injuries remains unknown
Videos showed the horrific scene at the village of Tyungur amid the brutal crash, as the helicopter caught fire moments after impact and quickly became a raging inferno.
It is believed there were 13 tourists on the helicopter, including eight women.
There were also three crew.
They had flown to view Belukha Mountain, a 14,783ft-high peak, the highest in the Altai Mountains in southern Siberia.
A report by Russian state media group TASS said: ‘When landing in the village of Tyungur, Ust-Koksinsky district, the Mi-8 helicopter of Altai Avia hit electrical wires, fell and caught fire.’
The pilot was named as Vyacheslav Demikhov, 52, accompanied by co-pilot Oleg Egorov, 42, and flight engineer Alexei Desyatov, 28.
The identities of those killed and injured have not yet been specified.
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