**Helicopter with 22 People on Board Missing in Far Eastern Russia**
The missing helicopter had taken on passengers near the Vachkajec ancient volcano in a scenic region of the peninsula, renowned for its rugged landscapes.
**Helicopter with 22 Aboard, Mostly Tourists, Missing in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula**
A helicopter carrying 22 people, including 19 passengers and three crew members, has gone missing in Russia's Kamchatka peninsula, according to local authorities. Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov reported that communication with the Mi-8 helicopter was lost at 04:15 GMT on Saturday. Rescue teams have been searching through the night, focusing on a river valley that the helicopter was scheduled to fly over.
The Mi-8, a two-engine helicopter designed in the 1960s, is widely used in Russia and neighboring countries, though crashes have been common. The helicopter had picked up passengers near the Vachkajec ancient volcano, a scenic area known for its wild landscapes and active volcanoes, before heading to the village of Nikolayevka, approximately 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) further east.
A source from emergency services told TASS that the helicopter disappeared from radar shortly after takeoff, without any reports of problems from the crew. The local weather service noted poor visibility in the area at the time.
Accidents involving planes and helicopters are common in Russia's sparsely populated far eastern region, where harsh weather conditions prevail. In August 2021, an Mi-8 helicopter carrying 16 people, including 13 tourists, crashed into a lake in Kamchatka due to poor visibility, resulting in eight deaths. Just a month earlier, a plane crashed while attempting to land on the peninsula, killing all 22 passengers and six crew members on board.
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