Russian MI-8T Helicopter with 22 Onboard Goes Missing in Kamchatka Peninsula

In Russia, an MI-8T helicopter went missing in the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Far East region of the country shortly after takeoff on Saturday (August 31). A total of 22 people, including 3 crew members, were on board the helicopter. News agency Interfax quoted Russia's Air Transport Agency in its report that the helicopter took off for Nikolaevka from a base located near the Vachkazhets volcano in the Kamchatka region. It is feared to have met with an accident.

Let us tell you that according to Indian time, the helicopter was to return to the base at 9.30 am, but it did not happen. Despite several attempts, the crew members could not be contacted. According to the information, apart from the crew members, there were tourists on board the helicopter. Search has been started for the missing helicopter.

Mi-8 is a twin-engine helicopter designed in the 1960s, which is used extensively in Russia and neighboring countries. India first purchased the MI-8T helicopter from Russia (then Soviet Union) in 1971. After this, a total of 107 MI-8T helicopters were purchased by India for military use till 1988.

State news agency RIA had reported that this helicopter was carrying tourists from Moscow and St. Petersburg and crashed into the lake. Let us tell you that the Kamchatka Peninsula lies 6,000 km (3,728 miles) east of Moscow and about 2,000 km west of Alaska. There are about 160 volcanoes here and 29 of them are active.

For the first time, the Russian army used this helicopter in 1967. Its cost is Rs 125 crore. MI-8T is one of the most widely used helicopters in the world. More than 50 countries including India, China, Iran use it for civil and military purposes.