The Mi-8 helicopter, which belonged to a local air firm and was inspecting lighthouses in the Chukotka region, was carrying three crew and two passengers when it crashed in the village of Billings.

"As a result of the disaster three people died. After the crash a fire started which was rapidly put out," the emergencies ministry said in a statement.

It said that the two injured were taken to a medical point in Billings, a remote village on the northern coast of Chukotka and named after a nineteenth century British explorer.

The Interfax news agency said a helicopter carrying medics and investigators was unable to fly to Billings for the moment due to bad weather but sufficient medical help was being given to the injured.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011