Russia: Kamchatka tourist helicopter crash survivor recounts ordeal

У вашего броузера проблема в совместимости с HTML5

Mandatory Credit: Information Policy Department of the Kamchatka region

One of the survivors of a Mi-8 helicopter crash in Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka region, Viktor Stvolkin, explained how he escaped the submerged chopper.

The man said he was asleep when the helicopter crash-landed into the Kuril Lake early on Thursday. “I unbuckled my seat belt, and I was immediately lifted up. There was a small piece of air on top. I managed to inhale, and everything was immediately filled with water,” he recounted. “I was sitting in the first row, and the cockpit’s door was open. There was a light and, it seems, the remnants of air or water pushed me a little there. I made two strokes and it seemed to me that the light and the glass were broken, and I began to rise,” he added.

The survivor said the first rescuers arrived at the scene within five minutes of the crash. “We already thought that if there are another five minutes, most likely people would have started to drown, it was impossible to stay there on the water,” Stvolkin said.

The Mi-8 helicopter, operated by Vityaz-Aero, was carrying 13 tourists and three crew members as it crashed and sank into the Kurile Lake. According to Russia’s Emergencies Ministry (EMERCOM), there were eight survivors, with the rest believed to have been killed. The ministry said its rescuers are working to retrieve the aircraft which is lying at a depth of 137 metres (450ft).

—-

SOT, Viktor Stvolkin, survivor: (Russian): “It’s hard to talk about this. A boy, the son of my friend, was sitting with me, but after sleep, I didn’t even have time to… If I wasn’t sleepy, I would have had time to at least take off his belt. I unbuckled my seat belt, and I was immediately lifted up. There was a small piece of air on top. I managed to inhale, and everything was immediately filled with water. Somewhere to dive down - it was not clear at all. I was sitting in the first row, and the cockpit door was open. There was a light and, it seems, the remnants of air or water pushed me a little there. I made two strokes and it seemed to me that the light and the glass were broken, and I began to rise. I believe it was somewhere around 8-9 meters. I’m practicing freediving, I know a little bit about it. It helped me stay calm.”

SOT, Viktor Stvolkin, survivor (Russian): “In fact, the first one [boat] arrived in five minutes… Two boats. Five minutes. We already thought that if there are another five minutes, most likely people would have started to drown, it was impossible to stay there on the water. I was the first one at the boat, well, of the two. I was pulled out, then we picked up Nastya, who was a guide in this group. And the first two were nailed to us - the co-pilot and the mechanic. The co-pilot was able to get out almost by himself with our help, and the mechanic was very badly injured.”

#Russia #Kamchatka #HelicopterCrash

Video ID: 20210812-024

Video on Demand: https://ruptly.tv/videos/20210812-024
Contact: [email protected]

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Ruptly
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Ruptly