DUSHANBE:A helicopter carrying climbers in Tajikistan crash-landed in the Central Asian nation’s mountains, killing five of the 18 people on board, a Tajik official said Monday.
A spokeswoman for Tajikistan’s Emergencies Committee told the media that Three of the dead were Russian mountaineers and two were Tajik members of the helicopter crew.
The remaining 12 climbers and one crewmember were evacuated Monday by rescue helicopters. She said the survivors had sustained injuries and were given medical assistance.
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon took personal control of the situation. Reportedly, bad weather conditions might have been the cause of the accident.
The Russian, Belarusian and Spanish embassies in Tajikistan have been informed of the accident, as well as the Russian and Belarusian emergency services. A special investigative committee has been formed to investigate the causes of the crash.
