Tourist helicopter crashes in Russian crater lake; 8 missing

Rescue workers in Russia's Far East are searching for survivors after a helicopter carrying tourists crashed into a deep volcanic lake

MOSCOW -- A helicopter carrying tourists plunged into a deep volcanic crater lake on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s Far East early Thursday, and rescue workers were searching in the lake for up to eight people missing, officials said. At least eight others reportedly survived. The Mi-8 helicopter sank in Kurile Lake, which was formed in a volcano caldera and crater and is located in the Kronotsky nature reserve. The water temperature in the lake was 5-6 degrees Celsius (41-42.8 F), and the survivors had to swim about 9 meters (29.5 feet) up to the surface from the sinking helicopter, spokespeople for the reserve said. Russia's Emergencies Ministry said 13 tourists and three crew members were aboard the helicopter when it crashed, state news agency RIA Novosti said. Two of the survivors were badly injured and have been taken to the intensive care unit at a local hospital, according to the Interfax news agency. Rangers in the nature reserve reported hearing the helicopter approaching the lake and then the sound of it hitting the surface and said they immediately dispatched two boats to the crash site.