A Russian military helicopter on a training flight crashed on Thursday evening near Saint Petersburg, killing three people, local authorities said.

The Mi-8, which belonged to the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardia), was carrying three crew members who were all killed in the crash, according to a spokesperson quoted by the local online news site Fontanka.

The helicopter went down in the Gathina region in northwest Russia "following an air incident" while on a training flight, according to the same source.