4 die in helicopter crash in Russia

The MD-600 helicopter crashed near the village of Mundybash in the Kemerovo region in central Siberia.

A privately owned helicopter crashed on Sunday in Siberia, killing all 4 people on board, emergency officials said.

HT Image

The MD-600 helicopter crashed near the village of Mundybash in the Kemerovo region in central Siberia, said Oksana Kosheleva, a spokeswoman for the regional branch of Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry. The reason for the crash was not immediately clear, she said.

Kosheleva told

The Associated Press

that the helicopter had not been registered with the authorities and its owner lacked official permission for the flight. An official investigation has started.

There have been numerous crashes of unregistered aircraft in Russia, where the number of privately owned planes and helicopters has increased sharply amid an economic boom.