Moscow yesterday said 18 people were killed when a helicopter crashed on its way to an oil station in northern Siberia in the early hours of the morning. The Russian Transport Ministry said the Mi-8 helicopter carrying three crew members and 15 passengers crashed when it collided with machinery carried by another helicopter soon after take-off.

It added that the second helicopter landed safely and that the accident took place in "normal" weather conditions. "The first take-off was carried out by a Mi-8 with an external cargo suspension without passengers on board, the second take-off was performed with passengers who were workers on shifts at the oil station," the ministry said in a statement.