Nine people were killed today when a Russian military helicopter crashed in Chechnya, the fourth such incident in the region in less than two weeks.
The Mi-8 chopper crashed and exploded on impact shortly after its take-off from the Khankala military base outside the Chechen capital Grozny, Interfax news agency cited investigators with the Federal Security Service as saying.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known, and no Chechen rebel leaders took immediate responsibility for downing the chopper. A spokesman for the Russian air force, Mr Alexander Dobryshevsky, said one survivor had been taken to hospital in a serious condition, and a top commission had been sent from Moscow to investigate the incident.
The crash occurred less than two weeks after five senior Russian commanders, including a deputy interior minister, were killed in another helicopter accident in Chechnya which is still being investigated.
In all, 26 Russian soldiers have been reported killed in four helicopter accidents over Chechnya in just 11 days.
The losses threaten to deliver a blow to Russian President Mr Vladimir Putin, who has declared the war against separatists in Chechnya already won, saying federal troops are only in the region for policing purposes.
AFP
