A helicopter has crashed in Russia's republic of Sakha-Yakutia in Siberia, killing at least 19 people onboard.
Russia's civil aviation commission says that the Mi-8 operated by Polar Airlines caught fire after crashing on July 2.
It carried 25 passengers and three crew members.
The Interstate Aviation Committee quoted a surviving crew member as saying that 19 people were killed.
But state-run ITAR-TASS news agency later quoted a regional government official as saying 23 people were killed and five survived, including a child.
Sakha-Yakutia is a vast region stretching north of the Arctic Circle and helicopters are frequently used to transport people to remote areas.
Russia's civil aviation commission says that the Mi-8 operated by Polar Airlines caught fire after crashing on July 2.
It carried 25 passengers and three crew members.
The Interstate Aviation Committee quoted a surviving crew member as saying that 19 people were killed.
But state-run ITAR-TASS news agency later quoted a regional government official as saying 23 people were killed and five survived, including a child.
Sakha-Yakutia is a vast region stretching north of the Arctic Circle and helicopters are frequently used to transport people to remote areas.
