The passengers of the crashed Mi-8 airplane managed to rescue from the depth of eight-nine meters, Report informs, citing the Kronotsky nature reserve.
The helicopter crashed into the Kuril lake, southern Kamchatka, on Thursday. There were three crew members and 13 passengers, including a child, on board. A helicopter delivered some of the victims to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
"The water temperature in the lake is no more than five or six degrees, and it's impossible to stay there for long. People who were on board the helicopter at the moment of the crash said the aircraft started to sink nose down, while the back doors of the aircraft opened as it hit the water surface. The passengers who managed to rescue could swim out of the depth of 8 - 9 meters," the reserve said.