Bodies of Ka-32 crash victims to be dispatched to Sochi

Rescuers cleaning up the site of the Ka-32 helicopter crash are getting ready to dispatch the victims' bodies to Sochi, Krasnodar territory /Southern Russia/, Viktor Beltsov, deputy head of the Information Department of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, reported on Tuesday.

"The search was resumed at 7:30 Moscow time today," he said. "As of this moment, rescuers have retrieved seven bodies and two 'black boxes'-an airborne voice recorder and a recorder controlling the work of the helicopter's systems-from a crevice 251 meters deep." He also said the Emergencies Ministry had sent a helicopter to fetch the victims' bodies and move them to Sochi, where they will be identified.

The weather on the spot of the crash is fine, visibility is about two kilometres, and the rescuers keep searching for the last victim, Beltsov reported.

The Ka-32 took off from Dagomys at 11:20 Moscow time on Thursday and headed towards Mount Fisht, allegedly with nine people on board. A search was initiated when the crew failed to contact the ground control. The wreckage of the helicopter was discovered near Mount Fisht on Friday.