3 Jul 2013

Fatal helicopter crash in Siberia

6:15 am on 3 July 2013

Nineteen people died in a helicopter crash in Siberia on Tuesday.

The Interstate Aviation Committee said the Mi-8 aircraft operated by Polar Airlines caught fire after crashing in the Sakha region with 25 passengers and three crew on board.

It had made a hard landing, apparently in bad weather conditions, 45km northwest of the town of Deputatsky.

Sakha, also known as Yakutia, is a vast region stretching north of the Arctic circle.