Kyiv, Ukraine - At least 18 people, including Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky, were killed when a helicopter crashed near a kindergarten outside the capital Kyiv on Wednesday, according to local authorities.

Three children were among the dead and 29 were injured, including 15 children, the Interior Ministry said.

Also among the dead in the crash in the town of Brovary were Monastyrsky's deputy Yehvheniy Yenin and a state secretary.

It emerged on Wednesday that the helicopter involved – an Airbus H225 – had been temporarily grounded by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2016 over safety concerns.

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Its predecessor, the AS332, had previously been involved in several aviation accidents.

The cause of the crash was initially unclear and a commission will investigate, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said.

"This will not take just one or two days, because investigating an air disaster takes time," Ihnat added.

In an Instagram post, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of the "unspeakable" pain caused by the disaster.

"I have instructed the Security Service of Ukraine, in cooperation with the National Police of Ukraine and other authorized bodies, to find out all the circumstances of what happened," he wrote. "My condolences to all the families and friends of the victims!"

The interior minister and other top officials were on their way to the battle front of the war with Russia, the deputy head of the president's office told journalists in Brovary.