A Russian helicopter carrying 10 people, including senior rescue service officials, has crashed in the Irkutsk region of southern Siberia, an emergencies ministry spokeswoman said today.
"The Mi-8 helicopter was discovered seven kilometres from the Preobrazhenka settlement with signs of destruction," the spokeswoman for the emergencies ministry, Irina Rossius, told the RIA Novosti news agency.
The agency added that it was carrying several tonnes of explosives being used to break up ice on rivers.
