Four killed in crash of Russian military helicopter

Four people were killed when a Mi-8 helicopter owned by the Russian Defence Ministry crashed on Monday in the Pskov region of northwest Russia, local news agencies reported, quoting the ministry.

TASS said the helicopter was on a training flight when ground control lost contact with it.

Accidents involving Mi-8 aircraft are frequent in Russia, which has been criticised for its poor air safety record. In June 2014, 15 people died when a helicopter crashed into a lake in the northern Murmansk region.