A Ukrainian helicopter has crashed into the Black Sea killing 19 people, Russia's Itar-Tass news agency said.

Ukraine's Naftogaz state energy firm said the crash happened when the Mi-8 helicopter's tail struck part of an offshore platform at about 0630 GMT.

Valentyn Zemlyansky, spokesman for Naftogaz, said one person on board the helicopter survived Monday's crash.

ITAR-Tass said that the passengers were employees of the gas company who were headed for an offshore drilling rig.

The Mi-8 helicopter is used widely in civilian aviation and the military in the former Soviet Union.

Crashes are often blamed on the aircraft's poor maintenance and excessive age.

Last month, 12 people were killed when a Ukrainian border guards helicopter crashed into the Black Sea.

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Map of Ukraine

Al-Jazeera