Russian helicopter down

[Time Out]

2 Reports of this tragedy:

MOSCOW, Sept. 4 — A helicopter carrying nine people crashed in bad weather in southern Russia on Thursday and rescuers have yet to find any survivors, Interfax news agency said.

A rescue helicopter spotted the burning wreckage of the Ka-32 near Babuk-Aul, not far from the southern beach resort of Sochi, but were unable to land because of weather conditions and difficult highland terrain, it said.
The crashed helicopter, which was involved in the construction of a cableway in the mountains near Sochi, was carrying four crew members and five passengers, it said.
Preliminary reports suggested the helicopter may have crashed after a package of food supplies suspended beneath it struck a rock in poor visibility, it said.

MSNBC International News Report (http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters09-04-044546.asp?reg=EUROPE)

and another report on Gateway Russia (http://www.gateway2russia.com/st/art_136336.php)

[Heliport]

Report from Gateway to Russia half an hour ago Rescuers find crashed helicopter

Rescuers have found some pieces of a Ka-32 helicopter that crashed on Thursday. The wreckage was found near Mount Fisht in the Krasnodar region at 9:15 Moscow time. According to the press service of the Russian Emergency Ministry, burned parts of the rotor blades, tail and cockpit have been found, but no bodies. The search operation continues.

According to the latest information, there were 9 people on board – four crewmembers and five passengers (construction workers who were travelling to a construction site). The Emergency Ministry has published the names of people who were on board the helicopter.

The aircraft, operated by the company Pankh, left the town of Dagomysk at 11:20 Moscow time and was flying in the direction of Mount Fisht. Contact with the helicopter was lost at 11:25 Moscow time, and a search operation began. The helicopter went missing in a hard-to-access mountainous area.

According to preliminary information, the Ka-32, flying in poor visibility, could have hit the mountain with its external load, after which it fell to the ground and burned.

[Time Out]

Report:

Rescuers from the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry have discovered the fuselage of a Ka-32 helicopter that crashed near Mount Fisht near Sochi on Thursday.

"The main part of the fuselage was found at the bottom of a 100 to 120 meter deep crevice near Krasnaya Skala on Mount Fisht. The fuselage is completely destroyed. As the fuselage is lying deep in the crevice, a team of climbers are preparing to descend there," Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman Viktor Beltsov said on Friday.

The fates of the crew and passengers are still unclear.

The Ka-32 helicopter belonged to PANKH airline from Krasnodar, and was being used in the construction of a cableway near Mount Fisht. The Ka-32 flew from Solokh-Aul in Sochi's Lazarevsky district towards Lunnaya Polyana on Mount Fisht at 11:20 a.m. Thursday. However, the crew did not establish contact at an agreed time of 12:30 p.m., after which the search was launched. Tentative information indicates that there were four crewmembers and five passengers aboard the helicopter.

Gateway to Russia source (http://www.gateway2russia.com/st/art_136568.php)