Fourteen people died and eight more were seriously injured after a Russian-made helicopter tackling a forest blaze crashed in a remote part of Mongolia, officials said Monday. The chopper was the same model as one that crashed in 2001 killing nine people, including UN staff and foreign journalists.
The MI-8 helicopter, which was battling the blaze in Mongolia's northern Selenge province, had been missing since last Thursday. The 19 fire-fighters, along with three crew members, were on a mission to tackle the blaze which had been raging since June 7. The helicopter crashed into dense forest on a mountain at an altitude of 1,847 metres (6,100 feet) and was found by two rescue helicopters on Saturday, Emergency Minister S. Otgonbayar said.
"The area was foggy, and smoke was coming out from the site. We saw first yellow flags tied to the body of the wreckage," he said. All of those on board were Mongolian. Among the dead were fire-fighters and members of the helicopter crew.
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