Russian authorities reported Monday that at least 13 people died and another 19 were injured when a Russian supersonic fighter-bomber crashed on a residential building in Yeiska city near the southwestern border with Ukrainereported the country’s government.
“The rescuers finished the search of the rubble (…) In total, 13 people died, including three children, while 19 people were injured,” said the Ministry of Emergency Situations, quoted by Russian agencies.
The military plane fell on a nine-story building, where some 600 people lived, causing a gigantic fire, indicated the authorities of the region of Krasnodarwhere the accident occurred.
The Russian President, Vladimir Putinwas informed of the event and sent the Ministers of Emergency Situations and Health to the scene.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the Sukhoi Su-34 “aircraft fuel” caught fire in the “courtyard of a residential area” where it crashed.
In images on social networks, filmed by witnesses, a building is seen engulfed in flames.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, cited by Russian agencies, the fire spread to five of the nine floors of the building, with an area of about 2,000 m2.
The pilots were able to eject before crashing, added the ministry, which specified that it was a training flight and reported a technical problem after “one of the engines caught fire on takeoff.”
emergency care
Regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on Telegram that “all fire and rescue units in the region are working to extinguish the fire.”
The Russian Investigative Committee announced the opening of a criminal investigation.
The city of Yeisk is located on the Gulf of Tangarog, in the Sea of Azov, opposite the Ukrainian city of Mariupolcontrolled by Russian forces.
Oksana, a resident in the area where the plane crashed, told AFP by phone that the area was cordoned off. “There is a risk of explosion. Everything is on fire. There is smoke,” she said.
Since the entry of Russian forces into Ukraineflights were banned throughout the region, except for Russian military aircraft.
Military aircraft accidents remain relatively frequent in Russia.
(With information from AFP)