TALLINN, August 11 (RIA Novosti, Nikolai Adashkevich) - Divers in Estonia are preparing to recover the bodies of 14 passengers and crew lost in a helicopter crash in the Baltic Sea on Wednesday.
The Estonian Interior Ministry said divers examined the site of the crash yesterday and established that the bodies were inside the Copterline helicopter lying at a depth of 45 meters (about 15 ft). The divers discovered no damage to the helicopter, which was flying from Tallinn to Helsinki when it went down.
The cause of the accident is not yet clear, but three versions are being considered: poor weather, a technical failure, or a terrorist attack.
An eyewitness said two loud claps preceded the crash, but no fire or smoke followed. However, a representative of Estonia's prosecution service said this information had not been confirmed.
The Estonian police said Thursday that bad weather was impeding the recovery effort, as the sea was becoming rough and the wind was reaching 17 meters per second. However, Estonian and Finnish divers are continuing the work.
The Sikorsky S-76C helicopter crashed into the Baltic Sea Wednesday near the island of Naissaar off the Estonian coast. The helicopter left Tallinn at 12.40 local time (9.40 GMT), but three minutes later all contact with it was lost.
There were four Estonians, two Americans, and eight Finns, including two crewmembers, on board.
The helicopter was operated by a Finnish-based company, Copterline, which provides regular flights between Tallinn and Helsinki.
