Russia fighter hits apartments in city near Ukraine, 4 dead, six missing

YEYSK, Russia, Oct 17 (Reuters) – A Russian fighter plane crashed into a residential building in the southern city of Yeysk on Monday, engulfing apartments in a fireball and killing four people, officials said.

A further six people were missing.

Military news channel Zvezda published video appearing to show explosions aboard the Sukhoi Su-34 supersonic medium-range fighter-bomber as it plunged towards the apartments. Russian agencies said the pilots had ejected.

RIA news agency cited local emergency services as saying four people had died and six were missing. Tass news agency cited the headquarters for the rescue effort as saying 25 had been injured.

Anna Minkova, deputy governor of Krasnodar region, earlier wrote on Telegram that three people had died and another 10 had been taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

Authorities have reserved 600 beds in hotels and guest houses to house those who had to leave the building, RIA said.

Footage from the site showed large parts of the building on fire after the crash. Local authorities later said the blaze had been put out.

State-owned RIA said the crash took place during a training flight from a military airfield. It quoted the defence ministry as saying the pilots had reported that an engine had caught fire on takeoff, and the plane’s fuel had then ignited when it struck the building.

Russia’s state Investigative Committee, which deals with serious crimes, said it had opened a criminal case and sent investigators to the scene.

The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin had ordered all necessary help to be provided to victims. He ordered the health and emergencies ministers to fly to the region.

Krasnodar regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said the fire had broken out in a nine-storey building.

“The fire engulfed several floors at once. Seventeen apartments were preliminarily damaged,” he said on Telegram.

The incident comes nearly eight months after Russia sent its troops into Ukraine. Yeysk is separated from occupied Russian territory in southern Ukraine by a narrow stretch of the Sea of Azov.

Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge, Sandra Maler, David Ljunggren and Angus MacSwan

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