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A regional authority in Karelia reported that rescuers recovered the body of a crew member from the Mi-8 helicopter belonging to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, found at the bottom of Lake Onega. The aircraft had been on a training flight the day before when it went down. This update comes as lines of relief and concern spread across local communities and officials in the region.

It was confirmed that divers located the body at 21:16 and identified the remains inside the helicopter wreckage. The discovery marks a significant step in the ongoing search and recovery operation after the crash on Lake Onega.

Earlier, the president of the Republic of Karelia, Artur Parfenchikov, noted that rescue teams had retrieved sections of the Mi-8 from the lake’s depths. This information helped piece together the scale of the incident and the immediate work required to secure the site.

Sources within the emergency services indicated that the Mi-8 aircraft involved in the incident belonged to the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The developing narrative at the time suggested the accident may have been linked to mechanical or environmental factors, though officials cautioned that investigations were ongoing and preliminary conclusions were subject to change.

Initial assessments point to icing as a potential factor that affected the helicopter’s performance, causing a loss of engine power and leading to the crash. The rapid sequence of events meant the crew did not report any known issues prior to the emergency. Investigators will review flight data, maintenance records, and weather conditions to determine exact causes and to inform future safety measures for training flights in challenging northern environments.

Earlier imagery from the crash site offered early glimpses of the wreckage and highlighted the challenging conditions faced by response teams. These early visuals helped guide on-site operations and the coordination between rescue units, law enforcement, and medical personnel as they carried out their responsibilities in the remote lake region.