At least 4 Russian soldiers killed in helicopter crash

This file photo shows a Russian military helicopter burning after crashing during an aerobatic display in Dubrovichi, Russia, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2015 , killing one of its crew members and injuring another. The Mi-28 helicopter gunship was part of a flight of helicopters performing aerobatics at the Dubrovichi firing range in Ryazan region, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) southeast of Moscow, when it crashed Sunday. Four Russian soldiers were killed in a news helicopter crash involving an Mi-8. AP

MOSCOW, Russia — At least four Russian servicemen were killed when a military helicopter crashed in the west of the country late Monday, the defense ministry said.

“According to a search and rescue group that arrived on the scene of the emergency landing of an Mi-8 helicopter, three pilots and one technical instructor were killed,” the defense ministry told Russian news agencies.

Contact with the crew was lost just after 1620 GMT, the defense ministry said, before the helicopter made an emergency landing outside the town of Ostrov, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Russia’s border with EU member Latvia.

READ: Russian helicopter gunship crashes during air show, 1 dead

It remains unclear how many servicemen were onboard the helicopter, which was conducting a routine training flight according to the defense ministry.

An unnamed source in Russia’s security apparatus told RIA

Novosti state news agency that the helicopter had caught fire.

Other sources told Russian news agencies the crash is thought to have been caused by a mechanical defect.

The defense ministry said that military transportation experts were being flown out to the scene to investigate the cause of the crash.

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