'Abducted' Russian chopper returns to base
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Russian airline UTair on Tuesday claimed that a helicopter belonging to the company that was previously reported to have been abducted by militants in Sudanese region of Darfur has returned to its permanent base.
"The helicopter with its crew on board returned to its permanent base, the community of Nyala, Sudan, at 7:39 p.m. Moscow time (1539 GMT) on July 27," said the company as quoted by the Interfax news agency.
"No one among the crew members and passengers has been harmed, and the aircraft has not been damaged," it added.
Earlier in the day Russian Foreign Ministry said Darfur militants abducted the helicopter with four Russian crew members and five Sudanese passengers on board on Monday.
The helicopter was on a joint peacekeeping mission of the United Nations and the African Union in Darfur.
However, according to the airline, the Mi-8MTV chopper was seized by Sudanese authorities after landing for a stopover on Sudanese territory.
"UN employees are investigating the incident. The UTair airline, along with the Russian Embassy and UN officials in Sudan, is taking the necessary measures to clarify the situation," said the company.
