Russia copter crash kills four

A light AS350 helicopter crashed in Khanty-Mansi autonomous region in western Russia, killing all four on board, the Interfax news agency reported on Sunday.

The helicopter, en route to an oil field in the region, crashed near the town of Kedrovoye, killing two crewmembers and two oil company workers, the Interfax said, quoting Vadim Simonenko, press chief of the regional branch of Russian Emergency Situations Ministry.

A regional police officer, who arrived at the crash site before the rescuers, said two bodies were inside the helicopter, with the other two found about 50 metres away.

Preliminary investigation shows that the chopper belonged to the Skol Airlines, said the officer.

Rescue teams are heading for the crash site, and the cause of the accident is yet to be known.

On Thursday, a Mi-8 helicopter crashed in Russia's northern Krasnoyarsk region due to technical malfunction, killing 10 of the 25 people onboard.