An Mi-8 helicopter made a hard landing on a highway in the Dolinsky district in southern Sakhalin on Tuesday. On board were three crew members, a representative of the Sakhalin regional election commission and four employees of local television channels, Interfax reported, citing the regional election commission's press service.
The aircraft was returning from Cape Terpeniya in the Poronaisky district, where early voting for the State Duma elections had been held for residents of remote areas. No one was killed in the incident and no damage to the highway was recorded, the press service added.
According to the Fighterbomber Telegram channel, the emergency landing was caused by the self-shutdown of both engines due to complete fuel exhaustion. The helicopter fell about five kilometers short of the Sokol airfield.
The aircraft belongs to aviation unit No. 11 from Khabarovsk. The helicopter was provided by the Russian Defense Ministry to facilitate voting in remote areas.