A helicopter with at least seven people on board has gone missing in southern Siberia, the emergency services said Friday.
The aircraft, an Mi-8 helicopter, took off Friday morning in the Tyva republic but failed to arrive at its destination, the regional Emergency Situations Ministry said in an online statement, adding that it had been unable to make contact with the pilots.
While the ministry reported that seven people were on board the aircraft, the Interfax news agency cited Siberian transportation prosecutors as saying at least 12 people were on board, including seven passengers, three crew members and two technicians.
The ministry added it was carrying out a search and rescue operation to locate the aircraft and that at least 40 people were involved in the search.
