At least four people have been confirmed dead after a helicopter crashed near an airfield in Russia's Far East Yakutia region, UTair airlines said Wednesday.
The Eurocopter AS350 helicopter belonged to UTair airlines.
"The AS350 that went down took off from Lensk (town) with two passengers, a pilot and a mechanic on board. After four minutes, contact was lost with the aircraft. A rescue operation is underway. All on board are dead," the company's press service told RIA Novosti.
"The helicopter took off from Lensk at 12.07 p.m. (local time)...," Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia said.
The local emergencies ministry said it had located the wreckage of the single-engine from the air at 4.40 p.m. Moscow time, four kilometres from Lensk Airport.