A massive fireball erupted after a Russian fighter jet crashed into an apartment complex in the city of Yeysk on Monday.
The cause of the Russian Su-34 supersonic fighter-bomber jet crash is believed to have stemmed from the ignition of one of the engines during a training flight, Russian officials said, according to state media. Two pilots from the aircraft reportedly managed to eject to safety seconds before an explosion ensued.
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“On October 17, 2022, a Su-34 aircraft crashed while climbing to perform a training flight from the military airfield of the Southern Military District,” the ministry said in a statement, per Russian news agency RIA.
“According to the report of the ejected pilots, the cause of the plane crash was the ignition of one of the engines during take-off. At the site of the crash of the Su-34 in the courtyard of one of the residential quarters, the plane’s fuel ignited,” the ministry added.
Images and videos of the fiery plane smash swirled on social media, showing a raging inferno engulfing a multistory building. Additional information about casualties from the accident has not yet been released.
⚡️The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed that a Su-34 jet crashed while gaining altitude during a training flight in Yeysk, having taken off from one of Russia’s Southern Military District airfields.
Video: eyewitness pic.twitter.com/gV6stBlEaD
— The Insider (@InsiderEng) October 17, 2022
? BREAKING VIDEO: Fighter jet crashes into apartment building in the southern Russian city of Yeysk, causing large fireball and multiple casualties #Russie #Russia #Crash #Yeysk #BREAKING #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/8SeeMa2Yxb
— Breaking Video News (@BreakingVideoHQ) October 17, 2022
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.
Eyewitnesses report that after the plane crash, a residential building is on fire from the first to the ninth floor. pic.twitter.com/NytFaAB8Up
— Ey Villan (@NeutralNews111) October 17, 2022
Ambulances quickly rushed to the scene, and the fire spread across roughly 2,000 square meters, RIA reported. The building had nine floors and was entirely covered by flames, a witness told TASS.
“Emergency services are already working on the spot — all regional fire and rescue garrisons are engaged in extinguishing the fire,” Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of the Krasnodar Krai region, said in a Telegram post, per CNN.
Kondratyev also noted that the plane came from Russia’s 277th Bombing Regiment.
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Russia’s state Investigative Committee has opened a criminal investigation into the matter and sent staffers to the site as part of the inquiry but declined to elaborate on whether there was evidence of foul play, Reuters reported.
Yeysk is a port city located not far from occupied territory in Ukraine. Russia commenced the invasion of its neighbor back in February.
