A Russian military plane crashed into a residential area of Yeysk, a town in the southwest region of the country near the border with Ukraine, in which the officials said 13 people were killed. Dramatic videos circulating on the internet show the jet erupting into fireball as it crashed into the residential building on Monday. Russia's Ministry of Defence said that the crash took place during a training flight from a military airfield. Regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said the plane was a Sukhoi Su-34, a supersonic medium-range fighter-bomber.
The videos on social media show explosions aboard the plane as it nosedived toward the nine-story apartment building. The crash eventually sparked a massive fire that spread throughout the building.
Watch the moment of military #plane #crash at a residential building in #Yeysk , #Russia. pic.twitter.com/TEunPX3KQl
— Gaurav Kumar Singh (@GKSinghJourno) October 17, 2022
The plane's crew managed to eject before it crashed into the apartment complex. News agency Reuters quoted the defence ministry as saying that the pilots had reported that an engine caught fire during takeoff, prompting a massive blaze when the plane's fuel came in contact with the building.
The ministry of emergency situations said in a statement that rescuers had completed the search of the rubble, and discovered "10 more bodies", after earlier announcing three deaths.
"In total, 13 people died, including three children, while 19 people were injured," according to the ministry, as quoted by Russian news agencies.
In the Krasnodar Territory of Russia, a military plane crashed on a residential building in Yeysk. According to preliminary data, the pilot managed to eject.
— Ey Villan (@NeutralNews111) October 17, 2022
Eyewitnesses report that after the plane crash, a residential building is on fire from the first to the ninth floor. pic.twitter.com/NytFaAB8Up
Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed of the fire and ordered "all necessary assistance be given to casualties from the military plane incident", the Kremlin told the state-run TASS news agency.
The blaze spread over five floors of the building, covering 2,000 square metres (21,500 square feet), the ministry of emergency situations said.
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