At least five people were killed when a Russian Ka-226 helicopter carrying senior staff from a defence-linked aviation company crashed near the village of Achi-Su in the Republic of Dagestan on Friday, according to officials and state media reports. The aircraft was operated by the Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant (KEMZ), a key supplier of systems used in Russian military aircraft.

The helicopter was flying from Kizlyar to Izberbash when it caught fire mid-flight and attempted an emergency landing, the Russian media reported. Witnesses told local media that the pilot tried to bring the aircraft down on a nearby beach along the Caspian Sea, but it crashed into the yard of a private house in the Karabudakhkent district.

Footage shared on social media showed the helicopter’s tail breaking of

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