A tourist helicopter with 16 people on board has crashed into a lake in Russia’s Far East, officials say.
According to Russian media, officials from the Russian emergency ministry said there were eight known survivors.
When the Mi-8 crashed and sank in the Kuril Lake on the Kamchatka Peninsula, thirteen visitors, including a kid, and three crew members were on board.
Emergencies ministry rescuers and divers have been sent to the area to search for those still unaccounted for.
The Vityaz-Aero helicopter is reportedly lying in the lake at a depth of 100 meters (330 feet).
According to early information, the plane was on its way to the Kuril Lake and the Khodutka volcano from the village of Nikolayevka when it crashed, according to the emergencies ministry.
According to Russia’s news agency RIA, the Mi-8 – a medium twin-turbine helicopter – was transporting tourists from Moscow and St Petersburg.
The mountainous Kamchatka peninsula – more than 6,000 km (3,730 miles) east of Moscow – is popular among tourists.
In July, a plane crash on the peninsula killed all 28 people on board.
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