MOSCOW, July 2 (RIA Novosti) - An Mi-8 helicopter carrying oil workers crashed in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area in West Siberia killing at least nine people on Wednesday, the emergencies ministry said.
There were 16 people on board the helicopter, of which three were crew members and 13 were workers at a local drilling platform, a ministry spokesman said, adding that seven had survived.
"The survivors include three crew members and four passengers," he said, adding that they were receiving medical treatment.
The spokesman said the helicopter crash landed and caught fire on impact.
"The helicopter went down 70 kilometers from the border between the Khanty Mansi Autonomous Area and Yamal," he said.
Two Mi-8 helicopters with rescuers and doctors have flown to the crash site. One of the survivors was said to be seriously injured.
Yury Mushikhin, press secretary for the Yutair airline, the helicopter owners, confirmed the crash.
"There was a fire aboard the helicopter... The helicopter was flying from Noyabrsk to a drilling platform," he said.
The Khanty Mansi and Yamalo-Nenets autonomous areas account for the majority of Russia's oil production.
