A helicopter crash in northern Russia has killed 19 of 22 people aboard. The Mi-8 was carrying oil workers when it crashed 28 miles northeast of Staryi Urengoi in the Yamalo-Nenets region on Friday afternoon. Photos from the crash scene show the aircraft largely intact with no indication of a post-crash fire but 16 passengers and all three crew died. It appears the emergency response time might have been a factor as it took seven hours for rescuers to reach the scene and the occupants were trapped the whole time. Col. Dmitry Alexandrov, a local government official, told Russian media the helicopter “fell on its right side and the victims could not get out.”
The Mi-8 is one of the most ubiquitous helicopters in the world. More than 12,000 civilian and military versions have been built and are operating in more than 100 countries. They carry up to 32 passengers. There have been several high-casualty accidents involving the Mi-8 in recent years, the most recent in Igarka, Siberia, last November when 15 of 25 aboard were killed.
