YAKUTSK, June 29. /TASS/. A Mi-8 helicopter of the Polar Airlines that crash-landed in Yakutia in Russia’s northeast was involved in extinguishing forest fires, the press office of the Polar Airlines reported on Wednesday.

"The helicopter was involved in measures for putting out forest fires in this [Aldansky] district. According to preliminary information, there are no people killed in the crash-landing," the press office said.

There were three crew members and the staff of the aerial forest protection service onboard. A Mi-8 helicopter with rescuers and an An-26 plane of the Polar Airlines are preparing to leave for the crash site, it said.

As the Russian Emergencies Ministry said, the crew of the Mi-8 helicopter reported its crash-landing in the Aldansky district of Yakutia at 15:30 Moscow time on Wednesday. A Mi-8 helicopter was sent to render assistance. As the Eastern Inter-Regional Transport Investigation Department of Russia’s Investigative Committee reported, it was preliminarily established that a Mi-8 helicopter had flown on Wednesday evening from the Ust-Maisky district to the Aldansky district of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and crash-landed in a forest belt area near the community of Chagda.

Yakutia’s Transport Prosecutor’s Office is holding a probe into compliance with the legislation on flight safety. It has opened a criminal case on counts of Part 1, Article 263 of Russia’s Criminal Code ("Violation of the Rules of Safe Traffic and Operation of Railway, Air, Maritime and Internal Water Transport and the Subway").

There were twenty staff members of the aerial forest protection service aboard the Mi-8 helicopter that crash-landed in Yakutia, the Eastern Inter-Regional Transport Investigation Department of Russia’s Investigative Committee specified.

"There were three crew members and 20 employees of the aerial forest protection service onboard. Their health condition is being specified," it said.