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A Russian Su-34 strike fighter caught fire and crashed into a residential building in western Russia’s port city Yeysk on Monday, killing several people, according to multiple reports that captured scenes of explosions and an inferno that are much more common for Ukraine, from which the port is separated by the Sea of Azov.
One of the fighter-bomber’s engines caught fire during a training mission before it hit the courtyard of an apartment, Russian state media reported, citing a statement from the country’s defense ministry.
According to the Associated Press, the engine caught fire shortly after takeoff and both pilots managed to eject. When the aircraft hit the building, its fuel detonated and caused a massive fire, with one image showing the moment of the explosion with a pilot still fluttering down on a parachute.
At least three people were killed and nearly two dozen others were injured, with several in critical condition the report said. Reuters also confirmed the current death toll.
A video published to social media by Kevin Rothrock, an editor at the independent Russian news outlet Meduza, shows a security camera’s view as the warplane crosses the sky at low altitude. The plane slowly appears to lose altitude, before a fire can be seen onboard.
The aircraft appears to dive behind a collection of buildings, leading to a huge fireball that sends smoke rising. A second, follow-up fireball then casts a burst of light over the area, before turning into a tall plume of black smoke.
—Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) October 17, 2022
One photo published on social media shows an enormous explosion caused by the aircraft, next to a small parachute that appears to belong to one of the pilots who ejected before the plane crashed.
—Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) October 17, 2022
Insider was unable to independently verify the videos or photographs.
Yeysk is located along the Sea of Azov, a short distance across the water from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian port city Mariupol. Yeysk has a population of over 80,000 people and is also home to a Russian military air base.
According to an open-source intelligence analysis by Oryx, Russian forces have lost at least 16 Su-34 fighter-bombers throughout the nearly 8-month invasion of Ukraine. Monday’s accident marks the 10th non-combat crash of a Russian warplane, CBS News reported.
The incident also occurred a few hours after Russian forces attacked Ukraine’s capital city Kyiv with a swarm of Iranian-made suicide drones, killing several people.
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Videos capture a Russian strike fighter on fire moments before it crashed into an apartment building – Business Insider Africa
