18 dead in helicopter crash in Russia

Eighteen people were killed in a helicopter crash on Saturday in Russia's Krasnoyarsk region, authorities said.

"At 10.20 a.m., an Mi-8 helicopter performed a hard landing in Turukhansk district, 2 km from the village of Igarka," Xinhua news agency quoted a statement from the region's emergency services.

The crash was possibly due to technical failure or an error by the pilot.

The helicopter fell apart and caught fire, according to the statement.

The victims were 15 passengers and three crew members.