Russian Emergencies Ministry's helicopter crashed outside Moscow on Wednesday. The Mi-8 helicopter, which reportedly had 22 people on board, crashed in Northwestern Siberia on October 21, killing at lest 19 people.
"During search and rescue operations, the bodies of 19 persons killed in the accident were discovered," the statement published on the department's website said, Sputnik reports.
Another three people injured in the crash landing are said to be in a serious condition. They have been delivered to hospital. The two black boxes of the helicopter have been found and are in good condition.
Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov entrusted the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) and the Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Transport (Rostransnadzor) with carrying out checks on the activities of the company, that operated the flight, the Transport Ministry said in a statement Saturday.
"Following the Mi-8 crash … Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov tasked Rosaviation and Rostransnadzor to supervise the activity of the company, which operated the flight," the statement said.
The statement also added, that the Rosaviatsia and Rostransnadzor were to send their representatives to participate in managing the consequences of the crash at the scene.
The Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC, MAK) has formed a commission to investigate the crash.
"In accordance with the Russian aviation legislation, the Interstate Aviation Committee has formed a commission to investigate this aircraft accident. The commission has begun its work," Sputnik quoted the IAC's statement.
The investigators suspect the crash could have been caused by a violation of flight safety regulations, a mechanical problem or poor weather conditions, BBC writes.
The helicopter was flying from an oil and gas field in the Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk to the small settlement of Urengoi. The region's governor Dmitry Kobylkin has announced a day of mourning, calling the crash a source of "great sorrow for all of us."
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