Russian Mi-8 Helicopter crash in Siberia, 19 people killed

Investigative committee of Russia on Saturday said that helicopter Mi-8 crashed in northwestern Siberia, in which about 19 people were killed. According to report, an Mi-8 helicopter was flying with 22 passengers had crashed on Friday night outside the city of Novy Urengoy in which at least 19 passengers have died due to multiple injuries at the scene. The helicopter was flying from the Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk to the town of Urengoy in the Yamalo-Nenetsky region when it crashed Friday between 1400 and 1500 GMT. The regional branch of the emergencies ministry said it had been informed that a helicopter made a hard landing some 80 kilometres outside Novy Urengoy on Friday but did not initially report any casualties. The Investigative Committee said in a statement that the crash could have been caused by a violation of flight safety regulations, a mechanical problem or difficult weather conditions.A criminal probe had been launched to investigate possible violations, it added. The emergencies ministry said that fog and difficult visibility conditions had hindered the search for the crash site, as well as the rescue operation.