A search and rescue operation has been launched in Russia’s Far East after a helicopter carrying 22 people, mostly tourists, went missing.
The Mi-8T helicopter took off from a base near the Vachkazeits volcano in Kamchatka, the Emergency Situations Ministry said on Saturday.
This area of the peninsula is a popular tourist destination, known for its rich landscape and active volcanoes.
The helicopter disappeared from radar shortly after takeoff, officials said, adding that thick fog hampered rescue efforts.
The helicopter, owned by Vityaz-Aero, was en route to the volcano. The Mi-8 helicopter was designed during the Soviet era and is still popular and widely used in Russia.
The governor of Kamchatka said the plane disappeared from radar and the crew could not be contacted since 16:15 (04:15 GMT). A source at the Ministry of Emergency Situations told state news agency TASS that the crew had not reported any difficulties before going missing.
Vladimir Solodov said there were 19 passengers and three crew members on board.
Aerial searches continued into the night, but visibility was poor.
Others joined the search on foot along the Bistraya Valley, along which the helicopter was supposed to move.
The mountainous Kamchatka Peninsula, more than 6,000 kilometers (3,730 miles) east of Moscow, is popular with tourists.
But there have been many plane crashes over the years – two in just two months in 2021 alone.
