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Russian Mi-8 helicopter crashes in Magadan region, two people reported dead.

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Russian Mi-8 helicopter crashes in Magadan region, two people reported dead.
Photo for illustrative purposes: A Russian Mi-8 military helicopter flies over a joint Russian and Turkish convoy (not pictured) as it patrols oil fields near the town of al-Qahtaniyah, Syria, on Feb. 4, 2021. (Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images)

At least two people are dead after a Russian Mi-8 helicopter crashed in the far-east Magadan region of the country on the morning of March 14, Russian officials have said.

The aircraft was reportedly transporting 17 gold mine workers and three crew members when it made a “hard landing” 75 km from the village of Evensk, the Russian Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor's Office said in a post on Telegram.

Initial reports suggest the helicopter suffered from an engine malfunction.

A search and rescue operation was launched and Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case.

Last month another Mi-8 helicopter crashed into Lake Onega in Russia's Karelia Republic after suffering what is also believed to have been an engine malfunction while carrying out a training flight.

The Mi-8 helicopter is a Soviet-era aircraft used most commonly as a transport aircraft by both the Russian military and civilian government departments.

Ukraine destroyed 13 Russian military aircraft in 2 weeks. How?
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Chris York

News Operations Editor

Chris York is news operations editor at the Kyiv Independent. Before joining the team, he was head of news at the Kyiv Post. Previously, back in Britain, he spent nearly a decade working for HuffPost UK. He holds an MA in Conflict, Development, and Security from the University of Leeds.

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