A Russian fighter jet crashed over the Russian city of Yeysk on the Sea of Azov, killing and injuring. Shortly after take-off, the Sukhoi Su-34 fighter-bomber fell right next to an eight-story apartment building, part of which was set on fire. According to the regional civil defense in the evening, at least six people were killed. 19 people were injured. The whereabouts of six people were unclear. According to the information, 72 apartments were damaged.
The Ministry of Defense in Moscow confirmed the crash. When taking off from a nearby air base, one of two engines caught fire, it said. The two men from the cockpit would have saved themselves with parachutes.
President Vladimir Putin was informed of the crash. Civil Protection Minister Alexander Kurenkov and Health Minister Mikhail Murashko flew from Moscow to Yeysk to find out about the situation.
Videos said to have come from the city showed a large explosion close to the skyscraper. Then smaller detonations could be heard. Part of the building caught fire up to the roof. According to official information, 400 rescue workers managed to extinguish the fire by the evening. The house is not in danger of collapsing. No one was injured at a nearby school.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said the machine was on a training flight. According to the rules, such flights take place without ammunition. However, the tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda interpreted the explosions as meaning that the machine was armed. The port city of Yeysk is so close to Ukraine that airstrikes can be launched from there. The Su-34 was not shot down, but had a defect, said a rescued pilot, according to the newspaper report.
