16 injured from helicopter's emergency landing in Siberia

MOSCOW - The number of people injured from an Mi-8 helicopter's emergency landing in eastern Siberia on Wednesday morning has risen to 16, Russia's news agency Sputnik cited the Health Ministry as saying.

"All the injured have been examined," the ministry said in a statement.

Five people, including the pilot, were hospitalized, two of whom were suffered from limb fractures and three with mild bruises, the statement said.

The rest with minor and moderate injuries were provided with medical care and sent home, it said.

The incident occurred near the village of Baikit in the Krasnoyarsk region, the regional office of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said earlier in a statement.

It added that the medium twin-turbine helicopter, with 21 passengers and three crew members on board, got caught in a snow whirlwind soon after the helicopter took off in Baikit, which damaged its tail and the rotor blades.

The regional transport division of the Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement that it had opened a criminal case on the grounds of violation of traffic safety rules and operation of air transport.