According to a report from the local governor, a Russian helicopter went missing on Saturday, August 31, on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Far East, with a total of 22 people on board whose fate is currently unknown.
The Mi-8T helicopter took off from a base near the Vachkazhets volcano, but the crew failed to check-in at the scheduled time of 04:00 Greenwich Mean Time. The aircraft also disappeared from radar detection, and rescue operations are currently underway.
Governor Vladimir Solodov of the Kamchatka Krai region stated in a video statement that prior to its disappearance on Saturday, the Mi-8T helicopter was en route to the village of Nikolaevka, carrying 19 passengers and 3 crew members.
Russian state media outlet TASS reported that the Kamchatka region where the helicopter was flying through experienced low visibility, drizzle, and haze on the day of the incident. Authorities mentioned that the crew did not report any malfunctions with the aircraft.
Solodov mentioned that after the helicopter went missing, a search helicopter has been dispatched to the last known location of the helicopter for search operations. Ground rescue teams are also deployed to search along the Bystraya River valley, where the helicopter may have flown through.
Despite the severe weather conditions, Solodov stated that on Saturday night local time, search teams continued their efforts to locate the missing helicopter and passengers in the darkness.
The Kamchatka Krai Traffic Investigation Department posted on Telegram that they are investigating if there were any violations of traffic safety and aviation operation regulations related to the missing helicopter.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports, the region is sparsely populated and often faces harsh weather conditions, leading to frequent accidents involving aircraft, many of which are older models.