BLAGOVESHCHENSK, September 17. /TASS/. Rescuers of the Amur Center for Civil Protection and Fire Safety have found the crash site of a Robinson helicopter that was reported missing on September 16, the agency's Telegram channel said.
"This afternoon rescuers found the crash site of the helicopter in the Zeysky district. Two rescuers descended to prepare the helipad and inspect the scene," the message reads.
According to preliminary data, in the evening of September 16, the Robinson R66 aircraft received an alert from the emergency radio beacon in the Zeysky district. The pilot and two passengers were on board. About 20 people and seven pieces of equipment were involved in the search for the missing helicopter. The aircraft belongs to the Hergu gold mining company. The crew was conducting an overflight of the enterprise's territory.
Three people who were on board were killed when the aircraft crashed, the Joint Dispatcher Service of the Zeysky district told TASS.
"The helicopter has been found, all three were killed. It was found in the same place where the [emergency] beacon was left," the agency source said.
The Eastern Interregional Investigation Directorate for Transport of the Russian Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal case concerning the disappearance of the helicopter. The East Siberian Transport Prosecutor's Office has organized a flight safety inspection to investigate the incident further.