A Su-34 fighter jet crashed into a residential apartment building in the resort town of Yeysk, southern Russia on Monday evening, Russian Sputnik news agency reports.
Amateur footage filmed from a building across the street from the area where the plane is believed to have gone down shows a fireball burning in front of a 10-11 story apartment complex, with repeated explosions heard going off as the fire burns.
In a statement Monday evening, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that a Su-34 jet crashed within the city limits during a training flight, and said its pilots had ejected. The accident is thought to have been caused by the ignition of one of the plane’s engines.
“According to a report by the pilots, who had ejected, the crash was caused by the ignition of one of the plane’s engines during takeoff,” the MoD said. The ministry added that the plane’s onboard jet fuel ignited at the crash site.
