The Russian helicopter disappeared off the coast of Svalbard, the Norway Rescue Service said.
The aircraft, an MIL MI-8, was carrying five crew members and three passengers with “Russian-sounding names” on board when it went missing off the archipelago.
Rescuers have rushed to the scene. A spokesman for the rescue service said they had received no mayday signal.
Svalbard is a landmass located 500 miles north of Norway’s northern coast.
Norway said the helicopter was heading towards the settlement of Barentsburg when it disappeared.
They believe it was less than two miles from the town when the helicopter went down.
The helicopter was reported missing at 3.35pm local time (2.35pm BST). As of 5.15pm (4.15pm BST) the helicopter has not yet been found.
There are boats and rescue helicopter at the site.
Rescue leader Olav Bjørgaas said: “We do not know the nationalities of those on board. All we know is that there were eight people aboard the helicopter.”
This is a breaking news story. Please refresh the page for updates.