Russian warplane crashes into Sea of Azov city, ignites fire
The Russian military says one of its warplanes crashed in the port of Yeysk on the Sea of Azov after experiencing engine failure
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Russian warplane crashed Monday into a residential area in a city on the Sea of Azov after suffering engine failure, the military said. The crash ignited a massive blaze that engulfed several floors of a nine-story apartment building.
A Su-34 bomber came down in the port city of Yeysk after one of its engines caught fire during takeoff for a training mission, the Russian Defense Ministry said. It said both crew members bailed out safely, but the plane crashed into a residential area, causing a fire as tons of fuel exploded on impact.
There was no immediate word about any casualties on the ground but authorities reserved emergency rooms at local hospitals and scrambled medical aircraft. At least 17 apartments were said to be affected by the fire.
The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed about the crash and ordered the ministers of health and emergencies along with the local governor to head to the site.
Regional Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said emergency services were working to put out the fire.
Videos posted on Russian messenging app channels showed a massive fire engulfing an apartment building and loud bangs from apparent detonation of the warplane's weapons.
Yeysk, a city of 90,000, is home to a big Russian air base.
The Su-34 is a supersonic twin-engine bomber equipped with sophisticated sensors and weapons that has been a key strike component of the Russian air force. The aircraft has seen wide use during the war in Syria and the fighting in Ukraine.
Monday's accident marked the 10th reported non-combat crash of a Russian warplane since Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine.