Russia, Aug 24:Emergency officials have found the wreckage of a helicopter that crashed on August 20 in the Russian Far East with the governor of the oil-rich Sakhalin region, Igor Farkhutdinov, aboard. All 20 passengers and crew were dead. Officials said 20 bodies had been found and three had been identified, including that of the governor.
The helicopter was found about 115 kilometres southeast of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on the rugged, volcano-covered Kamchatka Peninsula. It was completely destroyed.

The other 19 people onboard the helicopter included top regional officials and business leaders. The bodies were scattered among the wreckage, which the Interfax news agency said was spread over an area about 70 metres (230 feet) wide.
In addition to the governor's body, search crews also identified the body of the governor's aide Yuri Shuvalov and public relations office chief in Sakhalin administration Dmitri Donskoi.
The grim task, involving about 200 people, was expected to continue through the night, which had already descended on the Far East region.
Bureau Report