A Russian fighter jet caused significant building damage after accidentally dropping a bomb on the Russian city of Belgorod on Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry told the state-owned Tass news agency.
According to a ministry statement, the incident occurred at approximately 10:15 p.m. local time, when “an accidental discharge of aviation ammunition” occurred by an Su-34 fighter jet of the Russian Aerospace Forces. The jet was performing a flight above the city just 40 kilometers north of the border with Ukraine.
The Sukhoi Su-34 is a Soviet-origin twin-engine, supersonic bomber jet that first entered into service in 2014 with the Russian Air Force.
The defense ministry confirmed there had been significant building damage as a result of the unintentional blast, but claimed there were no casualties.
“It happened at the intersection of one of the central streets, leaving a huge impact crater with a radius of 20 meters,” Belgorod region governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, wrote on Telegram on Thursday.
He added that the explosion had shattered windows and damaged cars.
In an update on Friday, Gladkov revealed that three people had received minor injuries and thanked God “there are no dead.”
“Last night, it was decided to play it safe and completely evacuate three nine-story apartment buildings. The evacuation took place under the supervision of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the head of the city, V. V. Demidov.
“Some went to live with their relatives, and everyone who had nowhere to go was accommodated in the Amaks hotel. Housing and food will be provided.
“Now the most important thing is to conduct a construction analysis of the supporting structures (…) and prepare design estimates in order to start restoration work as quickly as possible.
“Severe trials fell last night upon the residents of Belgorod,” he added. “Together, I think we will pass these tests.”
It is understood that an investigation to determine the facts is now underway.
