MOSCOW: A helicopter with 22 people aboard, most of them tourists, has gone missing in Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula in the far east, regional authorities said on Saturday.

The Mi-8T helicopter took off from a base near the Vachkazhets volcano and the crew failed to report at the scheduled time of 4 GMT, Interfax news agency reported, citing the federal air transport agency.

“Today at about 1615 communication was lost with a Mi-8 helicopter...which had 22 people on board, 19 passengers and three crew members,” Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said in a video posted on Telegram.

Rescue teams in helicopters have been searching into the night for the missing aircraft, focusing on a river valley that the helicopter was due to fly along, Russian authorities said. The Mi-8 is a Soviet-designed military helicopter that is widely used for transport in Russia.

The missing helicopter had picked up passengers near the Vachkazhets ancient volcano in a scenic area of the peninsula known for its wild landscapes and active volcanoes.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2024