Helicopter taking tourists from volcano crashes into mountain in ‘pilot error’ killing all 22 onboard in Russia

A HELICOPTER carrying tourists around a volcano in Russia crashed reportedly killing all 22 people onboard.

Grim photos from the wreckage site showed the mangled soviet-era Mi-8 chopper in Kamchatka with state media pointing to pilot error as the cause of the crash.

The site of the helicopter crash in Kamchatka, eastern Russia

Emergency workers land at the scene to search the wreckage

Officials disembark from a chopper in Kamchatka

The helicopter had 19 passengers and three crew on board when it plunged out of the sky on Saturday, Kamchatka governor Vladimir Solodov said on Telegram.

It had taken off from a base near tourist spot Vachkazhets volcano and was heading for the village of Nikolaevka.

By Sunday evening no survivors had been found, state news outlet Tass reported, before Russian Telegram channel SHOT news claimed 22 were dead.

The outlet said emergency officials believe the crash was caused by pilot error, and that the chopper smashed into a mountain during low visibility.

Mr Solodov announced on Sunday “we are doing everything possible to get specialists to the scene as quickly as we can”, as a search for survivors was launched.

Later Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations told TASS: “Fragments of the helicopter that went missing earlier have been found from the air.

“The fragments are located at the altitude of 900 meters, near the location of last communication.

“Bodies of 17 people have been found already. The search continues.”

The chopper crew were supposed to make contact at around 7.15 Moscow time on Saturday but didn’t – raising alarm bells for officials on the ground.