MOSCOW

A Russian military Mi-24 helicopter crashed over the Black Sea, the country’s Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

"On April 10 around 06:00 Moscow time (GMT0300) while performing a planned flight over the waters of the Black Sea in area of the western coast of Crimea, a Mi-24 helicopter crashed. The preliminary cause of the crash – equipment failure," the ministry said.

The fate of the crew remains unknown and rescuers are working at the site of the incident.

Mi-24 is a large attack helicopter and low-capacity transport with room for eight passengers.