A Mi-2 helicopter with two crew members and five passengers aboard, reported missing earlier in Russia's Tomsk region, has been found with all aboard safe and sound, officials and the media said on Wednesday.

The helicopter was found some 240 km from the village of Kolpashevo, Interfax news agency reported.

"It's been found. Everybody is safe and sound. The helicopter does not seem to have any visible damage," the Russian Federal Air Navigation Service's Siberian regional department said.

It was reported earlier that the helicopter took off at 7:01 a.m. Moscow time (0301 GMT) near the town of Strezhevoi and was due to arrive near the town of Kedrovy at 8:17 a.m. Moscow time (0417 GMT), but did not reach its destination. The last radio contact was 11 minutes after its take-off.

A Mi-8 helicopter was sent to search for the missing aircraft, with two doctors, three rescuers, a prosecutor and two police officers on board.

(Xinhua News Agency April 22, 2009)