Russian helicopter crash kills four and injures 10

Firefighters extinguish flames after an Mi-8 helicopter crash near Tyungur village, Altai Republic, southern Siberia, Russia (Ministry of Emergency Situations/AP)

Four people are dead and 10 injured after a helicopter crash in Siberia, Russian emergency service officials said.

The Mi-8 caught fire as it was landing in southern Siberia’s Altai Republic and brushed against a power line on Thursday, the local branch of the Russian Emergency Ministry said.

An initial statement said the helicopter was carrying 13 people and six were killed and seven injured.

Officials later revised the numbers, saying 16 people were on board and four died.

The helicopter belonged to a private firm and was carrying tourists, the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported. (Ministry of Emergency Situations/AP)

Two of the six first feared to be dead managed to leave the crash site and get to a nearby hospital, an updated statement said.

The helicopter belonged to a private firm and was carrying tourists, the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti said, citing the country’s civilian aviation regulator Rosaviatsia.

The Mi-8 is a two-engine helicopter designed in the 1960s.

It is used in Russia, where crashes have been frequent, and many other nations.