Avalanche Kills Snowboarders, Takes Down Helicopter

Ten people were killed last weekend when their helicopter was pummeled by an avalanche after landing on the ski slope.

The Mi-8 helicopter had been bringing 18 people to the remote region of Kamchatka for an extreme heli-ski trip. The avalanche crushed the helicopter, carrying it 200 meters down the slope. One of the three crew members on board miraculously survived and was cut from the wreckage when rescuers arrived.

All of the snowboarders were already making their way down the slope when the avalanche hit. Eight of them were killed, and one was seriously injured. The other five were rescued unharmed. According to the Independent, local authorities concluded that the avalanche contained 2 million cubic meters of snow, and was most likely caused by the snowboarders moving down the mountain.

Our thoughts go out to the families of those that were killed.

A snowboard tour in Russia’s Kamtchatka turned deadly when a helicopter carrying 18 people was buried in an avalanche on April 10, 2010, according to a story in the Telegraph.

As of now we think 10 people died,” Irina Andrianova, spokesperson for Russia’s Emergency Ministry, said. . . .Three Russians and one German citizen were dug dead out of snow, but the six others were missing presumed dead. . . “Two Russians and four Germans are still under the snow. There is practically no chance they have survived as the temperature is minus 20 degrees Celsius and the thickness of the snow is 10-15 meters,” she added.

The helicopter had just landed when it was reportedly hit by a slide set by tourists who were traveling downhill above them, according to the Washington Post.