At least 14 people, including three children, were killed when a Sukhoi Su-34 fighter jet crashed into the courtyard of a nine-story building and exploded in a fireball in southern Russia, across the Sea of Azov from Ukraine.
The supersonic jet, which the Defense Ministry said was on a training flight, was seen in video footage crossing the horizon on Monday with an engine ignited before an explosion and a fireball engulfing a building in the city of Yeysk.
The fire spread to several floors and there was an explosion. The crew ejected shortly before the accident and one of them was shown lying on a street still attached to his parachute.
Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said 19 people were injured. At least ten bodies were pulled from the rubble of the building, the ministry said, while 360 people were evacuated.
“Thanks to the professional, competent and quick actions of the fire and rescue units, 68 people were rescued during the search and rescue operation in Yeysk,” Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov said in a statement.
Footage from the scene showed a building that caught fire and the white remains of the Sukhoi jet next to a tree and a burned-out car next to the building.
“According to the ejected pilots, the cause of the accident was a fire in one of the engines during takeoff,” said TASS, which heard from the Ministry of Defence.
Investigators collected fuel samples from the airfield, questioned pilots who ejected and will examine flight recorders.
“At the moment, the investigation considers that the main version is a technical defect of the aircraft,” said Svetlana Petrenko, a spokeswoman for Russia’s investigative committee.
Source: CNN Brasil
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