Authorities said a helicopter ferrying Russian oil workers to a site on the far northern Yamal Peninsula crashed, killing at least 19 people and injuring three.

The Federal Air Transport Agency said in its statement that 16 of the 19 killed in the October 21 crash were passengers and the other three were crew members.

One injured passenger was taken to the Novy Urengoi settlement by helicopter, while two other survivors received medical assistance on the spot as their condition was assessed as critical. officials said.

RIA Novosti had found rescuers found both of the black boxes from the Mi-8 copter "in good condition."

The injured passenger communicated by cell phone with Russian Emergencies Ministry rescuers, who took hours to reach the site in the remote area.

Officials said weather conditions and visibility were poor in the area and that rescuers initially had to make their way to the crash site some 70 kilomters from Urengoi on snowmobiles. Helicopters later arrived at the site.

The Transport Ministry said the helicopter, belonging to the Skol air company, was flying from the village of Suzunskoye, in the territory of Krasnoyarsk.

Mi-8 helicopter are the workhorse vehicle for oil companies operating in remote, harsh regions of Russia. Crashes are often blamed on poor maintenance and aging machinery and parts.

The aircraft are also in wide use around the world, for civilian and military purposes.

Based on reporting by RIA Novosti, RT.com, and TASS</s>MOSCOW — Russia's aviation agency says 19 people have died after a helicopter carrying oil workers crashed.

The Federal Air Transport Agency says in its statement Saturday that 16 of the 19 passengers on board and all three crew members died in Friday's crash in northern Russia.

The Mi-8 helicopter was traveling from Vankor to Staryi Urengoi in the Yamalo-Nenets region when it crashed about 45 kilometers (28 miles) northeast of Staryi Urengoi.

Rescuers found the helicopter lying on its side in the tundra. The agency said poor visibility and strong winds could have been factors.

The Mi-8 has been a mainstay of Soviet and Russian aviation since the late 1960s and is widely used worldwide.</s>A helicopter crashed in northwest Siberia on Friday, killing 19 people on board, Russia’s federal air transport agency said on Saturday.

Three crew members and 16 passengers died when the Russian-made Mi-8 helicopter came down late on Friday in adverse weather conditions.

Two survivors were injured and a third unscathed, TASS news agency reported, citing a regional health official.

The helicopter was carrying employees of a contractor from Rosneft’s Suzun oilfield, part of the Vankor deposit, Russia’s northernmost onshore oil production project.</s>MOSCOW: At least 19 people were killed when a helicopter crashed in northwestern Siberia, Russia’s Investigative Committee said Saturday.

Investigators said in a statement that an Mi-8 helicopter carrying 22 people had crashed Friday night outside the city of Novy Urengoy and that “19 people have died from multiple injuries at the scene, according to preliminary data.”

The helicopter was flying from the Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk to the town of Urengoy in the Yamalo-Nenetsky region when it crashed Friday between 1400 and 1500 GMT, investigators said.

The regional branch of the emergencies ministry said it had been informed that a helicopter made a hard landing some 80 kilometres (50 miles) outside Novy Urengoy on Friday but did not initially report any casualties.

Emergency workers were dispatched to the scene and managed to save three people from the wreckage, the ministry said.

The survivors were transported to a hospital in Novy Urengoy, investigators said.

The Investigative Committee said that the crash could have been caused by a violation of flight safety regulations, a mechanical problem or difficult weather conditions.

A criminal probe had been launched to investigate possible violations, it added.

The emergencies ministry said that fog and difficult visibility conditions had hindered the search for the crash site, as well as the rescue operation.

A similar helicopter crash outside the western Siberian town of Igarka last year claimed 15 lives. AFP</s>Three crew members and 16 passengers died when the Russian-made Mi-8 helicopter came down late on Friday in adverse weather conditions.

Two survivors were injured and a third unscathed, TASS news agency reported, citing a regional health official.

The helicopter was carrying employees of a contractor from oil major Rosneft's Suzun oilfield, part of the Vankor deposit, Russia's northernmost onshore oil production project.
A Mil Mi-8 helicopter crashes and leaves at least 19 dead and three others injured on the Yamal Peninsula in Russia's Extreme North.