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UPDATE Oct 18: 14 people died as a result of the incident
UPDATE: The fire was extinguished, rescuers are checking the apartments. The pilot survived after he ejected at the last moment and landed near the crash site.
On October 17, a military aircraft crashed near an apartment building in the Russian city of Yeysk. Russian Ministry of Defence reported that the Su-34 multipurpose fighter jet crashed soon after taking off from a local airfield for a training flight. According to the report from the ejected pilots, the crash was caused by a combustion of one of the engines at take-off.
A multi-story apartment building engulfed in flames as a result of the incident. The fire area is about 2000 square meters. So far, the death of at least one person was confirmed. Three people were hospitalized. The total number of casualties from the incident remains unknown.
It is reported that the plane did not have missiles, but there were shells for the air cannon that detonated. This report is confirmed by the videos from the spot.
The videos show that the engine caught fire at low altitude, which is why there was probably no chance to take the aircraft away from the residential area.
Judging by the photos, the pilots ejected right before the crash. Russian Su-34 can fly with one engine running, so rather both engines were affected, or the fire in one of them significantly damaged the aircraft, making further flight impossible.
An aid station has been installed at the crash site — residents will be provided with all necessary support, the head of the district said. The authorities report that social facilities near the high-rise building were not affected.
Vladimir Putin instructed to provide all necessary assistance to the victims of the incident. He instructed the Governor of the Krasnodar Territory, the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Minister of Health to fly to the city to provide assistance.
