Helicopter crashed in Southern Kazakhstan

Shymkent, September 09 2009, Khabar - A Mi-8 helicopter carrying 10 frontier service officers and 3 crew members have crashed in the Ugam gorge in the South Kazakhstan region. One crew member and two frontier service officers were hospitalized to the Shymkent regional hospital. The crashed helicopter was flying to a search operation to be held on the Kazakhstan-Uzbek border. According to the Republic’s National Security Committee frontier service, their Uzbek counterparts reported 6 armed men were about to illegally cross the border. As a result, Kazakhstan’s frontier service division in charge of this site of the border took the decision to send a back-up team to the border line.

Amangeldy Abylkanov, deputy chief, Border control service, Kazakhstan National Security Committee:
- We believe that something failed when the helicopter landed on a mountainous area. The hospitalized officers say the helicopter flipped over. The final results will be announced after a special commission finishes its investigation. The commission includes some representatives from the aviation department of the Kazakhstan Frontier Troops, military prosecutors, Interior affairs ministry officials and air flights specialists from the Defence Ministry. The rescue operation is still underway with no more people found reported.

Later on, it was announced that the remaining 10 people who were on board were pronounced dead. According to the deputy head of the South Kazakhstan Rescue Department, Karim Baltabayev, rescue teams are still operating at the scene. Those who survived are now being treated at the Shymkent regional hospital.

Marat Pashimov, deputy head doctor, South Kazakhstan regional hospital:
- Two patients were hospitalized at 3:10 pm. They are feeling well now and they are soon to be transported to the Almaty Military Hospital.