At least six killed after Russian warplane crashes into apartment block in Yeysk

Fire engulfs several floors of apartment building

A Russian warplane has crashed in a residential area near a domestic port, sparking a fire in an apartment block and killing at least six people.

The Russian defence ministry said one of the engines of the Su-34 bomber caught fire, causing it to go down in the port of Yeysk, which sits across the Sea of Azov from Russia’s occupied territory in Ukraine.

The blaze engulfed several floors of a nine-storey apartment building and at least 15 apartments were affected, local authorities said. Russian news agencies said the two pilots ejected safely.

Russian officials were quoted by news agencies as saying six people were killed, another six were missing and 19 injured, four of them gravely. Around 250 people were evacuated, including 40 children.

In this handout photo released by Kooperativ Telegram Channel, flames and smoke rise from the scene after a warplane crashed into a residential area in Yeysk (AP)

Russian investigators said they had launched a criminal investigation into the crash.

President Vladimir Putin was informed of the crash and ordered Veniamin Kondratyev, the regional governor, Aleksandr Kurenkov, minister of emergency situations, and Mikhail Murashko, the minister of health to fly to Yeysk to provide support, local media said.

Thick black smoke billows from the site of crash (Ostorozhno Novosty)

“Emergency services are already working on the spot – all regional fire and rescue garrisons are engaged in extinguishing the fire,” Mr Kondratyev wrote on Telegram.

Yeysk, a city of 90,000 with a large air base, is separated from Russia’s claimed territory in southern Ukraine by a narrow stretch of the Sea of Azov.

The Su-34 is a supersonic twin-engine bomber equipped with sophisticated sensors and weapons. It is a key strike component of the Russian air force that has seen wide use during the wars in Syria and Ukraine.

Firefighters work at the scene of the crash (AP)

Monday’s incident was the 10th reported non-combat crash of a Russian warplane since Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine eight months ago.

Earlier on Monday, Russia launched waves of drone strikes on Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, killing at least four.

The so-called “kamikaze” drones developed by Iran hit residential buildings in the city’s central Shevchenko district, according to Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko.