MOSCOW, July 3. /TASS/. Russia’s rescuers have launched a search effort for the Mi-8 helicopter that went missing on Thursday night in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area, in the central part of the West Siberian Plain, the Emergencies Ministry said.
"This night, the Mi-8 helicopter that departed from Nizhnevartovsk failed to arrive on time. According to preliminary information, five people are onboard," the ministry said.
The search effort currently involves over 90 people and around ten pieces of equipment, including over 70 personnel of the Emergencies Ministry. "The grouping’s forces and means are being strengthened," it said.
A Mi-8 helicopter with a team of rescuers onboard is preparing to join the operation.