Moscow: Helicopters carrying tourists on the volcano tourist trip in the far east of Russia crashed into the lake on Thursday, leaving eight fear of death and the other two in serious conditions, said rescuers and local officials.
The MI-8 helicopter that carries 16 people to go down in the nature reserve on the Kamchatka Peninsula mountainous, the local government said in a statement.
“Eight people were saved, two of them were serious,” said Senior Kamchatka Regional official Alexander Zabolichenko in a statement.
The helicopter brought three members of the crew and 13 passengers, all tourists, added the government.
Forty rescuers and divers were sent to the scene.
Acting Minister of Health Marina Volkova previously said nine had survived.
The unnamed medical sources told Tass that the remaining eight was feared to die, but their fate was not immediately confirmed.
According to the savior quoted by Tass, the helicopter sank after the accident and lay at a depth of 100 meters (330 feet) at Lake Kuril.
The Russian investigation committee, which handles the probe of an air accident, said it saw the potential for violations of air safety rules.
Vitaz-Aero helicopter brings tourists to Khodutka, a volcano near the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
Kamchatka is a large area with several residents who are popular with tourists drawn by their dramatic views.
In early July, an airplane from a small local company fell on the peninsula, killing 19 people.
Russia has historically have a bad reputation for air safety but significantly increases its record since the 2000s.
The country’s main airline has shifted from the Soviet aircraft to a more modern plane.
But Lax maintenance and compliance problems with safety rules remain a problem.
In May 2019, Aeroflot flights were burned when making an emergency landing at Sheremetyevo Moscow airport, killing 41 people.
