Russian officials recover the bodies of all 22 people killed in a helicopter crash in the Far East
Moscow (AP/PTI): Russian emergency officials said on Monday they had recovered all 22 dead from a helicopter that crashed with tourists on board in Russia's Far East.
The crash occurred in Kamchatka — a pristine peninsula with numerous volcanoes, known for its rugged beauty and rich wildlife. A Mi-8 helicopter with 19 passengers and three crew members on board took off close to the Vachkazhets volcano on Saturday and rescuers located the wreckage the following day.
Russian state news agency RIA Novosti said, citing the Emergencies Ministry, that it likely crashed due to poor visibility in bad weather conditions. The local branch of the Investigative Committee, Russia's top law enforcement body, said in a statement Monday that an investigation has been launched into a possible pilot error or a technical malfunction.
The Mi-8 is a two-engine helicopter designed in the 1960s. It is widely used in Russia, where crashes have been frequent, as well as in neighbouring countries and many other nations.
Russian media described the flight operator Vityaz-Aero as one of the largest carriers in the Kamchatka region. After a helicopter crash in 2021, in which eight people were killed, authorities had banned the company from transporting passengers pending an investigation into a possible violation of flight safety rules.
Vityaz-Aero is the biggest of several local carriers that fly tourists to the Kronotsky reserve, a top attraction that includes Russia's only geyser basin.
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Pakistan reports two more polio cases; Total tally now 52
ISLAMABAD: At least two more cases of poliovirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the number of infections to 52 so far this year, a report said on Friday.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan," an official statement said.
The fresh infections — a boy and a girl — were reported from the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is underway," the statement read. Dera Ismail Khan, one of the seven polio-endemic districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has reported five polio cases so far this year.
Of the 52 cases in the country this year, 24 are from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
There is no cure for polio. Only multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five can keep them protected.
