Four dead as fireball engulfs apartment building after Russian jet crashes

At least four people were killed when a Russian warplane crashed in a residential area in the port of Yeysk on the Sea of Azov after suffering engine failure, Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said.

The Su-34 bomber went down after one of its engines caught fire during takeoff for a training mission, the Russian Defence Ministry said.

It said both crew members bailed out safely, but fuel exploded on impact, triggering a fireball.

Several hours after the crash, regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said emergency services managed to contain the fire.

The blaze engulfed several floors of a nine-storey apartment building and at least 17 apartments were affected, local authorities said.

In addition to the dead, 25 people were hurt, eight of them gravely, and six are missing, officials said. Authorities reserved emergency rooms at local hospitals and scrambled medical aircraft.

Vice governor of the region, Anna Menkova, said three of the four victims died when they jumped from the upper floors of the building in a desperate attempt to escape the flames, according to the RIA-Novosti news agency.

Around 100 residents were evacuated.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was immediately told about the crash and ordered health and emergencies ministers – along with the local governor – to head to the site, the Kremlin said.

Yeysk, a city of about 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.

It has been a key strike component of the Russian air force.

The aircraft has seen wide use during the wars in Syria and Ukraine.

Monday’s accident marked the 10th reported non-combat crash of a Russian warplane since Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine.