Seven of 12 victims of the crash of the Mi-8 in the Murmansk region have been identified. The fate of three people is not yet known, official representative of the Russian Investigative Committee Vladimir Markin said.
The signal with the Mi-8 helicopter was lost in the evening on May 31. There were 17 people on board. The crash left two survivors. The site of the crash has been found.
The two survivors were flown to the Murmansk Regional Hospital. One patient is in intensive care; has multiple open fractures of legs. the injuries of the other patient are less severe.
The helicopter was owned joint-stock company Apatite. On board, there was Apatite CEO Alexei Grigoriev, his deputy Konstantin Nikitin, as well as several high-ranking officials. The crash occurred during a work trip in the region, which the official conducted to develop tourism.
At around 8:00 p.m., Mi-8 took off from the fishing base "Pyatka," on the River Varzuga. It was supposed to land at the site of the recreation center "Apatite" on the shore of Munozero. However, 40 minutes after takeoff the crew stopped communicating.
Preliminary investigation considers two causes of the crash - equipment failure and bad weather. In the area of the crash, visibility was 100 meters at best because of the fog.