A Russian long-range bomber has crash-landed in the Arctic, killing three of its crew of four, officials said on January 22.
The Tu-22M3 bomber crashed while landing in a blizzard after a routine training flight in the Murmansk region north of the Arctic Circle, the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that two crew members were killed while two others were hospitalized.
A third pilot died from injuries later, a representative of the regional hospital said.
The bomber wasn't carrying weapons, according to the ministry's statement, which was carried by Russian news agencies.
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.
The Interfax news agency quoted an unnamed source as saying the crash occurred near the Olenya military base, an airfield of Russia's Long-Range Aviation on the Kola Peninsula.
The Tu-22M3 is a twin-engine supersonic heavy bomber built in the 1980s.
The Russian Air Force has used the Tu-22M3 in its campaign in Syria.
The Defense Ministry said it was investigating all possibilities, including a technical fault.