Tourist helicopter crashes in Russian crater lake; 8 missing

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — A helicopter carrying tourists has crashed into a deep volcanic crater lake on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s far east, leaving up to eight people missing. Officials said at least eight survived. Emergency workers including divers were searching for survivors in Kurile Lake in the Kronotsky nature reserve. The area where the crash occurred is only accessible by helicopter and fog was complicating the search. The nature reserve has Russia’s only geyser basin and is a major tourist attraction on the peninsula. The Mi-8 helicopter was manufactured 37 years ago and its operator said it was in good shape.