16 missing after Russian helicopter crash

Sixteen people are missing after a helicopter crashed into a lake in northern Russia’s Murmansk region, according the Emergencies Ministry.

Initial reports say two people survived with injuries and were taken to hospital. The fate of others is unclear.

The crashed helicopter may have been carrying high-ranking regional officials and the general director of the world’s largest high-grade phosphate ore producer Apatit, regional law enforcement sources said.

Russia’s federal Investigative Committee said it had begun a criminal investigation into the crash on the basis of suspected breaches of air safety rules.