14 bodies retrieved after Russian helicopter crash

PanARMENIAN.Net - Divers have retrieved the body of the fourteenth passenger from the crash site of the Mil Mi-8 helicopter that plunged Saturday into a lake in Russia's northwest, RIA Novosti reported, citing a source familiar with the situation.

"Two more bodies have been retrieved, the operation continues," the source said Monday, June 2.

The helicopter is now believed to have carried 19 passengers, up from the previous 17-18. There were reportedly top regional officials on board when the helicopter hit the lake in the Murmansk region, including a Murmansk deputy minister and the CEO of Apatit, a local phosphate refining, as well as some other senior company officials.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations said earlier that two people survived the accident and were taken to a local hospital.

The Russian Investigative Committee has launched a probe into the crash. Two possible causes are currently being investigated - a technical failure and poor weather conditions that left the pilot disorientated.