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Thick black smoke filled the sky above the Russian-occupied penisula Crimea after a military aircraft appeared to catch fire during landing and explode. The explosion took place at Belbek airfield in Crimea, with several explosions heard nearby. A rescue operation is currently underway at the scene, according to the governor of Sevastopol.
The governor said: “Extraordinary situation at the Belbek airfield.
“According to rescuers, the plane skidded off the runway during landing and caught fire. The fire brigade is currently on the scene. Please keep calm”
Russia seized the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 but Kyiv has repeatedly insisted that Crimea will be recaptured during the ongoing war.
According to the local BAZA news agency, a military plane crashed at Belbek airport in Sevastopol before ammunition detonated on board.
Video from the scene showed thick black clouds of smoke over Lyubimovka near the Belbek airport.
The surreal scene caught on camera saw Russian holidaymakers on a nearby beach watch on as the plume of smoke billowed into the sky above them.
It has been noted that the Sevastopol airport has also been a major Russian base since they invaded Crimea.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is also headquartered in Sevastopol.
Christo Grozev, a reporter for Bellingcat, tweeted: “More bad news for Putin today. Something burning at Belbek military airport in Sevastopol..
“Local governor says it’s a military plane that overshot the runway and crashed.”
Oliver Carroll, a reporter for The Economist, tweeted: “The claim by Russian-appointed Governor of Sevastopol is that a plane overshot the runway.
“If it did, it seems then have run into an arms dump.”
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