Russian military plane crash leaves 13 dead

At least 13 people were killed and 19 injured after a Russian military plane crashed into a residential building in the southern town of Yeysk near the Ukraine border, Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said Tuesday. 

The Sukhoi Su-34 crashed on Monday evening causing a massive fire that took over a nine-storey building and damaged 72 flats. Three children were among the victims of the blaze that spread to 21,500 square feet.  

Over 360 residents were evacuated from the site, another 68 were recovered from the rubble during the rescue operation, according to the emergency services. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered “all necessary assistance be given to casualties from the military plane incident.” Regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said that local authorities will "figure out whether the house would be restored, or we will build new apartments." 

According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, one of the plane’s engines caught fire while the aircraft was gaining altitude after taking off from the military base of the Southern Military District “to perform a training flight.” Both pilots were able to eject and are now safe, the ministry added. Russia’s investigative committee opened a criminal investigation into the crash. 

Yeysk is a port town in the Krasnodar region on the shore of the Taganrog Gulf of the Sea of Azov. It is located right opposite the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which was occupied by Russia in May after a three-month siege and heavy bombardment. Russia has closed the airspace to civilian aviation over the eastern border of Ukraine since the beginning of its invasion of the neighboring country.