At least 16 people were missing after a helicopter believed to be carrying top regional officials and businessmen crashed into a lake in northwestern Russia, police and the emergencies ministry say.
According to preliminary information, the Mi-8 helicopter was carrying up to 19 people - five crew and 14 passengers - when it crashed in a remote area in the northwestern Murmansk region on Saturday, a regional police spokeswoman said.
"Yes, indeed the helicopter is in a lake," the spokeswoman said.
Two people were injured and hospitalised and the rest are considered missing, she added, noting that emergencies officials were looking for survivors.
According to a separate statement from the emergencies ministry, the helicopter was carrying 18 people, including five crew.
The helicopter belongs to a company called Apatit, maker of components for fertilisers, a spokeswoman for the regional emergencies ministry, Tatyana Zakharova, said.
Investigators named a possible aircraft malfunction and bad weather as likely causes of the crash.
Aviation crashes are frequent in Russia and are often blamed on ageing aircraft and poor maintenance.
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