Engine On Fire, Russian Sukhoi Su-34 Fighter-Bomber Crashes And Hits Apartment In City Near Ukraine: Four People Die

Illustration of Sukhoi Su-34 bomber fighter jets. (Wikimedia Commons/Alex Beltyukov)

JAKARTA - A Russian warplane crashed into a vertical residential building in the southern city of Yeysk on Monday, setting off a fireball that engulfed apartments and left four people dead and six others missing, officials said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the plane that crashed was a Su-34 fighter-bomber. The plane crashed after one of its engines caught fire.

"On October 17, 2022, a Su-34 aircraft crashed while climbing during a flight practice from a military airfield in the Southern Military District. The aircraft crashed within Yeysk City limits," the ministry said in a statement, citing TASS October 18.

"The plane's fuel caught fire after the Su-34 hit the courtyard of a residential building," the ministry said.

The military news channel Zvezda published a video showing an explosion aboard a Sukhoi Su-34 medium-range supersonic fighter-bomber as it crashed into an apartment. Russian agencies said the pilot had exited. RIA news agency quoted local emergency services as saying four people had died and six were missing.

Krasnodar regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said the fire broke out in a nine-story building.

"The fire devoured several floors at once. Seventeen apartments were damaged early," he said on Telegram, citing Reuters.

Anna Minkova, deputy governor of the Krasnodar region, previously wrote on Telegram that three people had died and 10 others were taken to hospital due to smoke inhalation.

Authorities have reserved 600 beds in hotels and guesthouses to accommodate those who have to leave the building, the RIA said.

Footage from the apartment's location showed most of the building on fire after the crash. Local authorities later said the fire had been put out.

Russia's state Investigative Committee, which deals with serious crimes, said it had opened a criminal case and sent investigators to the scene.

In the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin has ordered all necessary assistance to be provided to the victims. He ordered the health and emergencies minister to fly to the region.

The incident occurred almost eight months after Russia sent troops to Ukraine. The city of Yeysk is separated from Russian-occupied territory in southern Ukraine by a narrow stretch of the Sea of ​​Azov.