8 people are missing after a tourist helicopter crashed in a crater lake in Russia's far east

• Eight people are missing after a helicopter crashed into a volcanic crater lake in Russia.
• Sixteen people, most of whom were tourists, were on board.
• One survivor said he couldn't open the seatbelt of the child next to him.

Eight people are missing after a helicopter carrying 16 people crashed in a volcanic crater lake in Russia.

The helicopter, which had mostly tourists on board, crashed in a lake on the Kamchatka peninsula in eastern Russia on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Both Reuters and the Associated Press reported that eight people were missing, citing officials.

The eight other people on board have been found, Reuters reported.

One tourist who survived the crash told the press service of the regional government that he was asleep when the helicopter crashed, and that he did not have the time to open the seatbelt of his friend's son, who was asleep beside him.

"During the flight, due to poor visibility in the windows of the helicopter, I was asleep, so I felt what happened only when the water hit my face in a stream," Viktor Strelkin said.

"My friend's son was sitting next to me. He was fastened with seat belts, and I did not have time to pull him out due to the fact that I woke up late. I only managed to unfasten myself."