KHANKALA. Feb 8 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian Air Force Commander- in-Chief Vladimir Mikhailov finds it premature to name the ultimate cause of the MI-8 Hip helicopter crash in Chechnya.
"It is premature to speak of the cause of the accident today. There are several explanations for the tragedy and a special commission is considering all of them," he told Interfax- Military News Agency on Friday.
He said the commission resumed work at the crash site on Friday morning.
Mikhailov said the surviving three crew members are in the hospital. "All of them are conscious and in satisfactory condition," he said.
Mikhailov, who heads the commission, added that seven passengers died in the crash: two rescue workers and five task force members.
The helicopter crashed after taking off from the Khankala airfield on Thursday. It fell from an altitude of 50 meters and started burning after it hit the ground.