Russia: Military plane crashes in a residential area, according to official media

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A Russian SU-34 fighter crashed into an apartment building in the western city of Yeysk on the Sea of ​​Azov during a training flight on Monday, it was reported. Russian Government media.

The RIA Novosti news agency, quoting the Russian Defense Ministry, reported that the accident was caused by a fire in one of the engines.

According to the report of the ejected pilots, the cause of the crash was the ignition of one of the engines during takeoff. “At the crash site of the Su-34 in the courtyard of one of the residential neighborhoods, the aircraft’s fuel caught fire,” the ministry said in a statement to the RIA news agency.

“The SU-34 crashed while going on a training flight from the military airport of the Southern Military District,” the ministry added.

Pictures and videos of the aftermath of the accident showed smoke and fire burning next to an apartment complex.

The Kremlin said in a statement that Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the authorities to provide all necessary assistance to the victims of the military plane crash, adding that Putin had received reports from ministers and the head of the region about the situation.

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At least four people died, and about 25 people were injured, some seriously, authorities said.

Officials have opened an investigation into the incident, according to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Krasnodar Krai and the Military Prosecutor’s Office of the Southern Military District.

An eyewitness told Russian state media TASS that firefighters and ambulances had arrived at the scene.

“A plane crashed in our city … Ambulances and firefighters are coming from all over the city and helicopters are in the air,” TASS quoted an eyewitness as saying.

The apartment building has nine floors, according to another resident who spoke to TASS. A separate eyewitness said an entire house was on fire.

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations told the RIA news agency that the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe fire caused by the accident is 2,000 square meters.

According to the head of the affected district in Yeisk, Roman Bublik, the residents of the nine-storey building that caught fire will be provided with all the necessary support.

He is on his way to the city, Veniamin Kondratiev, governor of the Krasnodar Krai region, said in a statement.

“Emergency services are already working immediately – all regional fire and rescue garrisons are working to put out the fire,” he said in a statement on his Telegram channel.