Wreckage of missing Mi-8 helicopter found in Russia's Khabarovsk Territory

VLADIVOSTOK, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The wreckage of a Mi-8 helicopter that went missing in Russia's Far East has been discovered near Cape Gadikan in Khabarovsk Territory, emergency authorities announced on Wednesday.

"Wreckage was found near Cape Gadikan ... rescuers are heading to the site to survey the area," according to the press service of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.

There were five people on board the helicopter, including three crew members and two technical specialists. Their condition remains unknown at the time of reporting.

"Today, search and rescue services discovered a completely destroyed aircraft with traces of fire on a mountain slope 130 km northeast of the village of Okhotsk in Khabarovsk Territory by a search helicopter," the Eastern Interregional Investigative Department for Transport of the Russian Investigative Committee reported.

The Mi-8 helicopter, operated by the private aviation company APK Vzlet, departed from Okhotsk on Monday, bound for its home base in Magadan. However, the crew failed to make contact at the scheduled time, and the onboard emergency locator beacon did not activate. Enditem