"According to preliminary reports, a Russian and a Moldovan pilots were killed in an air crash," Anatoly Maleshov, head of the embassy's consular department said. "We have received no information indicating that a Russian pilot survived."
Earlier reports said the downed Mi-8 helicopter, carrying Togolese soccer officials, was being piloted by a Russian who survived the crash, the Reuters news agency quoted the airport's administration as saying.
The passengers were on their way home from Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, after a 0-1 soccer match between Sierra Leone and Togo. No soccer players were onboard.
The cause of the crash is being established. Preliminary reports suggest the aircraft could have burst into flames in the air.
The Russian Embassy in Guinea, which performs diplomatic functions in Sierra Leone, is continuing to send updates.
