KHANKALA. Feb 5 (Interfax-AVN) - The area of the search for the missing MI-24 Hind helicopter has been expanded in Chechnya, a spokesman for the unified federal headquarters said on Tuesday.
Originally the search covered only the vicinity of Khankala, but now it is being conducted throughout Chechnya, the spokesman told Interfax-Military News Agency. The helicopter commander did not indicate the aircraft's exact position during his last communication with ground control.
The search was stopped for the night due to bad weather. It resumed at dawn, at about 7:30 a.m. Moscow time (0430 GMT). Border guard troops, the federal troops group in the North Caucasus, aviation of the Defense Ministry and Interior Ministry troops are performing the search. A total of 1,000 servicemen and about 20 aircraft are engaged in the operation.
According to data provided by the North Caucasus regional border guard department, the helicopter and a MI-8 Hip helicopter operated by the Federal Border Guard Service were caught in bad weather while flying along the Vladikavkaz - Tuskhoroi - Vladikavkaz route on Sunday. The MI-8 landed in Beslan, North Ossetia, while the MI-24 commander told ground control in the last radio exchange that he was at an altitude of 1,500 meters and starting to descend. At a height of 600 meters contact broke off.