deadOslo, Oct 29 (AFP) A Russian helicopter that went downoff the coast of Norway's Svalbard archipelago in the Arcticthis week has been found and the eight Russians on board arepresumed dead, Norwegian rescue crews said today.
The Mil Mi-8 chopper, carrying five crew and threescientists, went missing on Thursday as it was flying toBarentsburg from Pyramiden, a former mining community inSvalbard that is now a tourist site.
It went down two or three kms from Barentsburg, a Russianmining community in the archipelago.
"The wreck of the Russian helicopter has been located...
northeast of Heerodden, at a depth of 209 metres (686 feet),"the rescue services said in a statement.
"The search has now concluded, and has moved into asearch phase for the presumed dead."A sea patrol plane, a Danish aircraft, two Norwegianhelicopters and several vessels had been searching the areasince Thursday.
A small robot submarine was also used to investigate anarea where an oil patch and bubbles were observed.
Norway was afforded sovereignty of Svalbard, locatedaround 1,000 km from the North Pole, under the 1920 Treaty ofParis.
Nationals of all signatory states enjoy "equal liberty ofaccess and entry" to Svalbard and its waters.
As a result, Russia operates a coal mine in Barentsburg,home to several hundred Russian and Ukrainian miners. (AFP)KIS.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.