Russian news agencies have reported that at least 13 people were killed when a warplane crashed into a residential area in the Russian port city of Yeysk on Monday after suffering engine failure.
The crash ignited a massive fire that engulfed several floors of a nine-story apartment building.
“Rescuers have finished searching the debris (…) A total of 13 people died, including three children, while 19 people were injured,” the Ministry of Emergency Situations reported, quoted by the agencies Russians
The city is separated from occupied Russian territory in southern Ukraine by a narrow stretch of the Sea of Azov.
A Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber crashed after one of its engines caught fire during takeoff for a training mission, the Russian defense ministry said.
He said the two crew members got out safely, but the plane crashed into a residential area, starting a fire when tons of fuel exploded on impact.
Authorities said they booked emergency rooms and operating rooms at local hospitals and scrambled medical planes.
At least 17 apartments were said to have been affected by the fire, and about 100 were evacuated.
The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed of the crash and ordered the health and emergency ministers, along with the local governor, to the scene.
Regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said emergency services were working to put out the fire.
Videos posted on Russian messaging app channels showed a massive fire engulfing an apartment building and loud bangs from the apparent detonation of the warplane’s weapons.
Yeysk, a city of 90,000, is home to a major Russian air base and training facility.
The Su-34 is a twin-engine supersonic attack aircraft equipped with sophisticated sensors and weapons that has been a key strike component of the Russian Air Force.
It first flew in 1990, but only entered service 26 years later in 2014. The plane has seen heavy use during the Syrian war.
Russia was thought to have around 140 operational Su-34s before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February.
Monday’s crash marked the tenth reported crash of a Russian warplane since Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine.