3 people, 2 of them British tourists, die in Russian helicopter crash

MURMANSK REGION, Russia, July 21 (UPI) -- Three people died when a private helicopter crash-landed in northern Russia Sunday, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said.

Rosaviatsia, Russia's air traffic watchdog, reported a Eurocopter-120 helicopter crashed in the Murmansk region during takeoff. The agency initially said the aircraft fell on its side and killed three people on the ground, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported.

Two of those killed were British tourists, police said.

The helicopter's pilot survived the crash, RIA Novosti said.

The ministry sent a rescue helicopter to the accident site.