Ukraine government helicopter crashes

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A Ukrainian interior ministry helicopter crashed in the country's Kirovograd region on Tuesday, killing five people according to officials.

The aircraft, an Mi-8 helicopter, crashed after lifting off from an aiport in Olexandria, a Kirovograd regional city, leaving three crew members and two engineers on board dead.

Ukraine's interior ministry is reportedly investigating the cause of the crash

Helicopter and plane crashes are increasingly common in former Soviet Union countries, often the fault of low maintenance standards, disregard of safety regulations and attempts to cut costs.

The helicopter crash happened within hours from an incident in another former Soviet republic, Kazakhstan, where a military transport plane crashed on the fourth landing attempt killing all 27 people on board.