Two pilots dead in helicopter crash in the Far East

Two people have died after a helicopter crashed in the Russian Far East on Tuesday. The MI-2, belonging to the Voluntary Society for Assistance to the Army, Air Force and Navy, came down on the Kamchatka Peninsula at about 6.50pm.

Class 3 pilot Viktor Martynov and flight engineer Valery Kiselev had been flying the aircraft on a test flight following an engine change.

It was initially reported that the aircraft was carrying a group of eight skiers but this information was not confirmed.

To assist possible injured passengers, a helicopter left Elizovo Airport with rescuers and medics on board, while the Russian Emergencies Ministry also put a MI-8 helicopter on stand-by with another group of rescue personnel and two dog handlers.

But there was no need for the support as the emergency services found the bodies of the two men at the scene, trapped inside the cockpit.

No details about weather conditions at the time have been given and an investigation will take place to uncover the cause of the crash.