Russia: There are no survivors in the helicopter crash, rescue teams have found 17 bodies so far

AUTHOR: M.J.
Among the wreckage of the helicopter that disappeared on August 31 in the far east of Russia, rescue teams did not find any surviving passengers, the BBC reports.
Ivan Lemihov from the Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed that 17 of the 22 bodies of the passengers have been found so far.
The helicopter disappeared after taking off from the base, near the Vačkažec volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula, and was carrying mainly tourists. This popular tourist spot is known for its active volcanoes.
The cause of the crash is currently unknown. Such accidents are common in the Far East of Russia, a sparsely populated area subject to severe weather conditions. Three years ago, eight people died when a tourist helicopter crashed into a lake in Kamchatka. The Mi-8T helicopter, which disappeared from the radar on Saturday, was carrying 19 tourists and three crew members.
The wreckage was found on September 1 in a hilly area, Vladimir Solodov, governor of Kamchatka, confirmed on Telegram. The remains of the aircraft not far from the slope of a wooded hill can be seen in the footage released by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Officials said the remains were found near the location where the helicopter was last seen. The search for the missing has been paused, and should resume at dawn on Monday, September 2, announced Ivan Lemihov from the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Pilot error, probably caused by fog, could be the cause of the accident, writes the Russian news agency Interfax.
Officials said earlier that dense fog was hampering the work of rescue teams on the ground.
The plane was owned by the company Vitjaz-aero from Kamchatka, which organizes tourist flights.
The Mi-8 helicopter was designed during the Soviet era, but is still widely used in Russia.