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A military plane has crashed into a residential block of flats in a Russian city, according to residents and local media. The city, Yeysk, is located on the sea of Azov, opposite Mariupol in Ukraine. Images shared on social media by international news agency BNO show an enormous fireball emerging from the scene. Both pilots reportedly ejected just moments before the crash, which sparked a massive fire in the nine-story building.
A resident told the Russian state-run TASS news agency: “Ambulances and firefighters are coming from all over the city, helicopters are in the area”.
At least 15 apartments have been reportedly damaged by the incident, although the blaze continues to engulf the building. According to Russia’s ministry of defence, the plane was an Su-34 military aircraft that had crashed during a training flight from an airfield.
One of the ejected pilots, the ministry says, reported that the cause of the crash was one of the engines catching fire during takeoff.
Locals report that there are multiple continued explosions as ammunition stored on the plane is ignited. It is currently unclear if there are any casaulties from the devastating crash.
The Russian ministry of defence said: “On October 17, 2022, while climbing to perform a training flight from the military airfield of the Southern Military District, a Su-34 aircraft crashed. The aircraft crashed within the city of Yeysk.
“According to the report of the ejected pilots, the cause of the plane crash was the ignition of one of the engines during takeoff. At the site of the crash of the Su-34 in the courtyard of one of the residential areas, the fuel of the aircraft ignited.”
Regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said that emergency services were working to put out the fire.
The elite Su-34 bombers are reportedly worth around £41million, and are considered to be some of the most powerful Russia has at their disposal.
But the modern fighter jet has become a source of mockery for the Russian army. In one instance, Ukrainians examining wrecked Su-34s discovered GPS receivers taped to their dashboards.
Meanwhile, one group of Ukrainians have begun giving pieces of down Su-34s as keychains to anyone who donates over $1,000 to the war effort.
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