(Reuters) - A Tu-22M3 strategic bomber crashed in Russia's southern Stavropol region on Friday morning, the Interfax news agency cited Russia's defence ministry as saying.

       The ministry said that the bomber's four pilots had ejected, and three of them have been rescued while the search for the fourth one continued. It said the crash appeared to have been caused by a technical malfunction.

       (Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Sonali Paul and Muralikumar Anantharaman)