MOSCOW -- A Russian helicopter chartered by geologists disappeared Tuesday during a flight in the Far East, and two aircraft were searching the area, a news report said.
The Mi-8 helicopter, owned by the private company Krechet, was to fly some 300 kilometers between the settlements of Sobolevo and Yelizovo, in the south of the Kamchatka peninsula, the Interfax news agency reported. No radio contact was established with the helicopter after take-off.
Two hours after the helicopter left, a three-engine Yak-40 plane and another Mi-8 helicopter were sent to look for it, Interfax reported, citing Russia's emergency situations ministry. Russia's ORT television station reported there were 15 people on board the missing helicopter.
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