Moscow: A shipwreck occurred in the Black Sea waters on Wednesday, the Crimean department of the Russian Emergencies Ministry said.
The Heroes of Arsenal ship wrecked in the waters of the Black Sea," the department said in a statement.
There were 12 crew members onboard the vessel - nine Ukrainians, two Russians, including the captain, and a Georgian citizen.
Five crew members have been rescued, according to a spokesman for the Investigative Committee's southern department for transport.
"The rescue operation is ongoing," he added.
The rescue effort is hampered by a storm in the area, according to Russian News Agency (TASS).
The cause of the shipwreck is yet to be established, the investigators said.
According to the Investigative Committee, the Heroes of Arsenal cargo ship issued a distress call and sank some 19 miles away from Cape Zhelezny Rog, near the Kerch Strait. The ship transported grain from the port city of Azov in the Rostov region to Turkey.
