By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : At least nine people were killed Wednesday when an Mi-8 helicopter carrying oil workers crashed in the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous area in Russia’s west Siberia, the emergencies ministry said.
A total of 16 people, including 13 oil workers and three crewmembers, were on board when the helicopter crashed, killing nine of them and injuring the rest of people.
“The helicopter went down 70 km from border between the Khanty Mansi and Yamal,” a ministry spokesman said.
Two Mi-8 helicopters with rescuers and doctors have flown to the site of the crash. One of the survivors is seriously injured, the spokesman said.
Yury Mushikhin, press secretary for the Yutair airline that owned the helicopter, also confirmed the crash.
“There was a fire aboard the helicopter… The helicopter was flying from Noyabrsk to a drilling platform,” he said.
The Khanty Mansi and Yamalo-Nenets autonomous areas account for the majority of Russia’s oil production.