Death Toll in Russian Chopper Crash Rises to 14

2014/06/02

MOSCOW, June 2 (RIA Novosti) - Divers have retrieved the body of the fourteenth passenger from the crash site of the Mil Mi-8 helicopter that plunged Saturday into a lake in Russia's northwest, a source with the situation room told RIA Novosti Monday.


"Two bodies - of the thirteenth and fourteenth casualties - have been retrieved, the operation continues," the source said.


The helicopter is now believed to have carried 19 passengers, up from the previous 17-18. There were reportedly top regional officials on board when the helicopter hit the lake in the Murmansk region, including a Murmansk deputy minister and the CEO of Apatit, a local phosphate refining, as well as some other senior company officials.


The ministry of emergency situations said earlier two had survived the accident and were taken to a local hospital.


The Russian Investigative Committee has launched a probe into the crash. Two possible causes are currently being investigated - a technical failure and poor weather conditions that left the pilot disorientated.



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