By Atila Altuntas
STOCKHOLM (AA) - A Russian helicopter carrying eight people has gone down Thursday off the coast of Norway's Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, according to the Swedish state television SVT.
The Mil Mi-8 helicopter crashed at around 3:30 p.m. (1230GMT), Tore Hongset, the leader of the Norwegian rescue coordination operation, told a Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang, VG.
The cause of the crash is not known yet. A rescue helicopter and a frigate were deployed to the area.
The nationalities of those on board are not yet known.
Svalbard is more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) north of Norway’s mainland.