Helicopter with 7 onboard crashes into sea off Estonian coast

In the morning of July 6, a helicopter carrying seven people crashed into the sea off Estonia’s west coast, prompting a swift rescue operation. 

Authorities confirmed there were no casualties, Caliber.Az reports, citing Estonian media.

The Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) said it received a distress call at 11:15 a.m. reporting the crash between the Väike-Vilsandi peninsula and Saaremaa, Estonia’s largest island. Rescue teams, including the Rescue Board, Kuressaare police, and local volunteers, were immediately dispatched to the area.

According to a statement issued at 12:20 p.m., all individuals on board were in good condition and did not require medical attention.

Local newspaper Õhtuleht reported that volunteers were the first to reach the crash site, transporting all seven passengers safely to the nearby port at Vikat.

The helicopter, an Airbus H130, is owned by the Estonian automotive company SilberAuto, the paper said. Flight tracking data from Flightradar24.com shows the aircraft took off from Vilsandi island at 11:06 a.m., with its signal abruptly ending just two minutes later off the island’s northeast coast.

The incident occurred near the Väike-Vilsandi peninsula, situated on the eastern edge of the small island of Vilsandi, close to the western shoreline of Saaremaa.

An investigation into the cause of the crash is expected.

By Khagan Isayev