17 bodies found after Russian copter crash

MOSCOW, Sept 01 (AFP): Rescuers on Sunday said they had found 17 bodies after a helicopter crashed with 22 people aboard in Russia's Kamchatka peninsula in the far east.

The helicopter went missing shortly after takeoff Saturday carrying 19 tourists and 3 crew, regional authorities said.

Kamchatka is a picturesque, wild region popular for adventure tourism due to its active volcanoes and pristine nature.

Rescuers spotted the remains of the helicopter on Sunday morning in a hilly area at a height of 900 metres, Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said in a video posted on Telegram.

Aerial video footage posted by Russia's emergency situations ministry showed helicopter debris lying on a slope close to the top of a large wooded hill.

The ministry said the aircraft was found close to the location where it went off the radar.

A ministry official, Ivan Lemikhov, said: "At this moment we have already found 17 bodies."

"The rescuers have set up camp and the search has halted until daybreak," he added.

The Mi-8 is a Soviet-designed military helicopter that is widely used for transport in Russia.

The helicopter that crashed was operated by a Kamchatka-based company called Vityaz-aero that organises flights for tourists, according to the emergencies ministry.

Accidents involving planes and helicopters are very frequent in Russia's far eastern region, which is sparsely populated and where many areas are only accessible by helicopter.