A Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber crashed into the yard of a residential building in the southern Russian city of Yeysk on Monday, the country’s defense ministry said in a statement.
On Oct. 17, 2022, a Su-34 plane taking off from the airbase of the Southern Military District for a training flight crashed during takeoff, the ministry announced, adding that the aircraft crashed in the center of the city of Yeysk and its fuel caught fire. The Russian news agency TASS, citing its own sources, reports that one of the fighter’s engines caught fire during takeoff. The two pilots of the plane ejected successfully and survived the crash.
According to the latest information from the regional operations staff, the death toll has risen to four and the number of injured to 25.
The local disaster management authority had earlier reported two dead and 15 injured. The unified dispatch service said that all nine floors of a stairwell in the building were in flames, but the fire has been extinguished, and rescue units were going upstairs. About 100 residents have been evacuated, and people are being housed in boarding homes.
According to Anna Minkova, deputy governor of the Krasnodar region, 10 people have been taken to the hospital; eight of these — seven adults and one child — are in serious condition.
Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations said more than 410 firefighters and vehicles had been deployed to contain the flames. The head of the ministry, Alexander Kurenkov, also went to the scene. According to the Russian Investigative Committee (RCC), an investigation into the case has been launched with the involvement of military experts.
Yeysk lies on the coast of the Sea of Azov, which separates Ukraine from Russia.
