A helicopter carrying 16 tourists and crew on a sightseeing trip in Russia’s far east crashed into a lake on Thursday, leaving eight people including a child feared dead and two others in serious condition.

The Mi-8 helicopter crash-landed into the icy waters of Kuril Lake in the mountainous Kamchatka peninsula in poor visibility and sank, local authorities said.

Staff of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve dispatched boats to the crash site and saved eight people, two of whom are now in intensive care with various injuries. Survivors praised wildlife inspectors for coming to their rescue in a matter of minutes.

“This situation is close to a miracle,” said governor Vladimir Solodov.

The other eight — including the only child on board and the crew commander — were missing and feared dead.

“We don’t have any information about the rest,” the governor’s spokeswoman, Alla Golovan, told AFP.

The wreckage of the helicopter was now lying at a depth of more than 130 metres (420 feet) some 700 metres from the shore, the emergencies ministry said.

Kamchatka is a vast peninsula popular with adventure tourists for its abundant wildlife, live volcanoes and black sand beaches.

The aircraft belongs to a firm called Vityaz-Aero, co-owned by local lawmaker Igor Redkin.

Earlier this week, Redkin made headlines in Russia when he admitted to killing a man he mistook for a bear.

Officials said the helicopter had been in operation since 1984 but was in good condition.

The Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said it was looking into a potential violation of air safety rules.