Six Killed In Helicopter Crash In Russia's Far East

A firefighter works at the site of a helicopter crash in Khabarovsk on April 11.

Six people have died in a helicopter crash in the Russian Far East city of Khabarovsk.

The Khabarovsk Krai regional government said the Mi-8 helicopter operated by local airline Vostok crashed on April 11.

All six people aboard were killed, it said. There were no reports of casualties on the ground.

The Investigative Committee cited poor weather, a technical fault, and pilot error among the possible causes of the crash.

Regional authorities declared April 12 a day of mourning in Khabarovsk Krai, a region on the Chinese border some 6,200 kilometers east of Moscow.

Accidents involving helicopters and small planes are frequent in Siberia and the Russian Far East, where aircraft are commonly used to cover vast distances.

Based on reporting by TASS, Interfax, RIA Novosti, and AFP