8 Rescued, 8 Still Missing After Helicopter Crash into Lake

8 people, including a child, are presumed dead after an Mi-8 Russian helicopter sightseeing excursion carrying 16 passengers and crew from St. Petersburg crashed into an icy Kuril Lake on Aug 12.

After hearing  a loud “boom,” Kronotsky Nature Reserve staff dispatched two motorboats with four inspectors, who arrived at the scene in about three to four minutes. The eight people who were on the surface were saved, and two of those individuals, who suffered numerous injuries, are now in the hospital. The survivors applauded the officers of the department of environmental conservation for saving their lives in a matter of minutes. 

Still missing are the other eight people on board, including the only child and the captain. 

When the crash occurred, one of the passengers, Viktor Strelkin was sleeping, and woke up to the sensation of water hitting him in the face. 

Survivors reported that the helicopter sank nose first, with passengers needing to swim up to reach the surface from an eight- to nine-meter depth. 

At a depth of more than 130 meters (420 feet), some 700 meters from the shore, the emergency ministry announced the wreckage of the helicopter was resting below the water. 

Vityaz-Aero, co-owned by local legislator Igor Redkin, operates the aircraft. The officials reported that the helicopter had been in use since 1984, but was in fine shape.

Inadequate maintenance and lenient safety compliance frequently lead to airplane crashes in Russia.