Wealthy tourists and ex-athlete ‘eaten by BEARS after helicopter comes down and beasts drag them from crash site’

THE bodies of two wealthy tourists and an ex-athlete were horrifically dragged away and eaten by bears after they died in a helicopter crash. Former biathlon star Igor Malinovskii, 25, was piloting the Robinson chopper in Kamchatka, Russia, when it plummeted to the ground. East2WestRescue teams found the remnants of the helicopter, which had lost communication, a day after the fatal crash[/caption] East2WestEx-biathlon ace Igor Malinovskii, 25, had been flying the chopper on July 16[/caption] He had been flying with prominent businesswoman Zoya Kaygorodova, in her mid-30s, and Sergey Kolesnyak, 39, a mobile phone company executive at company Tele2. The trio got into mortal trouble on July 16 while enjoying the elite tourist trip over the region, known for its bear-infested woodland. They reportedly lost communication due to bad weather, before the helicopter is believed to have caught fire as it hurtled to the ground. Rescue teams found the charred remains of the helicopter, named ‘Nadezhda’ or Hope, in the Valley of the Geysers a day later. Read more on Russia BRAVE DARIA Russia's top female tennis star bravely comes out as gay and slams Ukraine war HEAVY LOSSES Russia loses third of army's strength since invasion with 50,000 troops dead But it seems brown bears found the lifeless trio first – as they reportedly hauled their corpses away and “gnawed” at them. According to the 5TV channel, which cited local sources: “The remains of dead tourists after the crash of a Robinson helicopter in Kamchatka were dragged away by bears.” Kamchatka Territory’s Governor Vladimir Solodiv confirmed the crash. The human remains are reported to have been found.  Most read in The Sun LAURA QUITMORE Love Island host Laura Whitmore quits high-profile job COOLING OFF Thunder & lightning brings 40C heatwave to an end after hottest day on record BAD TASTE Hols warning as Spanish bar CHARGES each time waiter goes to table & for cutlery roar-some Gemma Collins looks incredible in leopard print bikini after 3st weight loss SOAP SURPRISE EastEnders child star who played Sharon Watts' son is all grown up BLOWN AWAY Heatwave warning for electric fan users – 6 HUGE mistakes to avoid The tourists had forked out a whopping £4,250 for the extravagant trip to Kamchatka, renowned for its bear-infested peninsula famous for volcanoes and glaciers.  Zoya Kaygorodova was the organiser of the fateful trip. She was a former manager at leading Russian retail names TsUM and Eldorado, before owning a hygiene products company.  Sanctions over the war in Ukraine has led to wealthy Russians exploring their own country rather than visiting popular Western destinations.  Malinovskii was a five-time junior world champion in biathlon but his career was stalled by the pandemic, according to reports.  He retrained as a pilot and was working for a company run by his father Vladimir Malinovskii, ferrying tourists to remote and spectacular sights in Kamchatka.  Read More on The Sun PACKED IN We've got 21 kids - how we keep things running smoothly & manage our huge shops RISK AWARE I'm a doc - here's why you should never share a towel & when to be wary of pools The cause of the crash in poor weather is under investigation.  The Russian Emergencies Ministry said in a statement: “Unfortunately, none [of the three people on board] survived the crash.” Top businesswoman Zoya Kaygorodova had organised the extravagant excursion to KamchatkaEast2West East2WestSergey Kolesnyak, 39, a Tele2 exec, was mauled by bears after passing away in the smash[/caption] East2WestAn investigation into the incident is now underway[/caption]