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Russian warplane crashes near apartment building, killing 13

Associated Press

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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, Russia, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. The Russian military says one of its warplanes has crashed near an apartment building in Yeysk, a port city on the Sea of Azov, after experiencing engine failure on takeoff. The crash ignited a huge fire, killing at least four people, leaving six missing and injuring 21 others, eight of whom were in grave condition. One of the pilots, right, descends on a parachute. (Kooperativ Telegram Channel via AP)
Debris of a warplane crashed into a residential area are seen near a damaged building in Yeysk, Russia, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. A Russian warplane has crashed into a residential area in a Russian city on the Sea of Azov after suffering engine failure, leaving at least four people dead, three of whom died when they jumped from upper floors of a nine-story apartment building to escape a massive blaze. (AP Photo)
A burnt bus and debris of a warplane crashed into a residential area are seen in Yeysk, Russia, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. A Russian warplane has crashed into a residential area in a Russian city on the Sea of Azov after suffering engine failure, leaving at least four people dead, three of whom died when they jumped from upper floors of a nine-story apartment building to escape a massive blaze. (AP Photo)
A firefighter stands at the scene after a warplane crashed into a residential area in Yeysk, Russia, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. A Russian warplane has crashed into a residential area in a Russian city on the Sea of Azov after suffering engine failure, leaving at least four people dead, three of whom died when they jumped from upper floors of a nine-story apartment building to escape a massive blaze. (AP Photo)
A firefighter is seen inside a damaged apartment after a warplane crashed into a residential area in Yeysk, Russia, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. A Russian warplane has crashed into a residential area in a Russian city on the Sea of Azov after suffering engine failure, leaving at least four people dead, three of whom died when they jumped from upper floors of a nine-story apartment building to escape a massive blaze. (AP Photo)
A view of the damaged apartmets after a warplane crashed into a residential area in Yeysk, Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022. A Russian warplane has crashed into a residential area in a Russian city on the Sea of Azov after suffering engine failure, leaving at least four people dead, three of whom died when they jumped from upper floors of a nine-story apartment building to escape a massive blaze. (AP Photo)
A firefighter works at the scene after a warplane crashed into a residential area in Yeysk, Russia, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. A Russian warplane has crashed into a residential area in a Russian city on the Sea of Azov after suffering engine failure, leaving at least four people dead, three of whom died when they jumped from upper floors of a nine-story apartment building to escape a massive blaze. (AP Photo)
Firefighters work at the scene after a warplane crashed into a residential area in Yeysk, Russia, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. A Russian warplane has crashed into a residential area in a Russian city on the Sea of Azov after suffering engine failure, leaving at least four people dead, three of whom died when they jumped from upper floors of a nine-story apartment building to escape a massive blaze. (AP Photo)
A firefighter works at the scene after a warplane crashed into a residential area in Yeysk, Russia, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. A Russian warplane has crashed into a residential area in a Russian city on the Sea of Azov after suffering engine failure, leaving at least four people dead, three of whom died when they jumped from upper floors of a nine-story apartment building to escape a massive blaze. (AP Photo)
In this handout photo taken from video released by OSTOROZHNO NOVOSTI, flames and smoke rise from the scene where a warplane crashed into a residential area in Yeysk, Russia, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. The Russian military says one of its warplanes crashed in the port of Yeysk on the Sea of Azov after experiencing engine failure. The Russian Defense Ministry said that a Su-34 bomber crashed into a residential area in Yeysk and caused a fire on Monday. (OSTOROZHNO NOVOSTI via AP)
In this handout photo taken from video released by Ostorozhno Novosty, flames and smoke engulf a building after a warplane crashed into a residential area in Yeysk, Russia, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. The Russian military says one of its warplanes crashed in the port of Yeysk on the Sea of Azov after experiencing engine failure. The Russian Defense Ministry said that a Su-34 bomber crashed into a residential area in Yeysk and caused a fire on Monday. (Ostorozhno Novosty via AP)
In this handout photo taken from video released by Ostorozhno Novosty, flames and smoke engulf a building after a warplane crashed into a residential area in Yeysk, Russia, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. The Russian military says one of its warplanes crashed in the port of Yeysk on the Sea of Azov after experiencing engine failure. The Russian Defense Ministry said that a Su-34 bomber crashed into a residential area in Yeysk and caused a fire on Monday. (Ostorozhno Novosty via AP)
Firefighters work at the scene after a warplane crashed into a residential area in Yeysk, Russia, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. A Russian warplane has crashed into a residential area in a Russian city on the Sea of Azov after suffering engine failure, leaving at least four people dead, three of whom died when they jumped from upper floors of a nine-story apartment building to escape a massive blaze. (AP Photo)
A firefighter works at the scene after a warplane crashed into a residential area in Yeysk, Russia, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. A Russian warplane has crashed into a residential area in a Russian city on the Sea of Azov after suffering engine failure, leaving at least four people dead, three of whom died when they jumped from upper floors of a nine-story apartment building to escape a massive blaze. (AP Photo)
Debris of a warplane crashed into a residential area are seen on the damaged building in Yeysk, Russia, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. A Russian warplane has crashed into a residential area in a Russian city on the Sea of Azov after suffering engine failure, leaving at least four people dead, three of whom died when they jumped from upper floors of a nine-story apartment building to escape a massive blaze. (AP Photo)
A burnt bus and debris of a warplane crashed into a residential area are seen at a damaged building in Yeysk, Russia, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. A Russian warplane has crashed into a residential area in a Russian city on the Sea of Azov after suffering engine failure, leaving at least four people dead, three of whom died when they jumped from upper floors of a nine-story apartment building to escape a massive blaze. (AP Photo)
Debris of a warplane crashed into a residential area are seen at a damaged building in Yeysk, Russia, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. A Russian warplane has crashed into a residential area in a Russian city on the Sea of Azov after suffering engine failure, leaving at least four people dead, three of whom died when they jumped from upper floors of a nine-story apartment building to escape a massive blaze. (AP Photo)

Kooperativ Telegram Channel,

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, Russia, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. The Russian military says one of its warplanes has crashed near an apartment building in Yeysk, a port city on the Sea of Azov, after experiencing engine failure on takeoff. The crash ignited a huge fire, killing at least four people, leaving six missing and injuring 21 others, eight of whom were in grave condition. One of the pilots, right, descends on a parachute. (Kooperativ Telegram Channel via AP)

MOSCOW – A Russian warplane crashed Monday into a residential area in a Russian city on the Sea of Azov after suffering engine failure, leaving at least 13 people dead, three of whom died when they jumped from upper floors of a nine-story apartment building to escape a massive blaze.

A Su-34 bomber came down in the port city of Yeysk after one of its engines caught fire during takeoff for a training mission, the Russian Defense Ministry said. It said both crew members bailed out safely, but the plane crashed into a residential area, causing a fire as tons of fuel exploded on impact.

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After hours of combing through the charred debris of the building, authorities said 13 residents, including three children, were found dead. Another 19 were hospitalized with injuries.

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.

The authorities reserved emergency rooms at local hospitals and scrambled medical aircraft. Over 500 residents were evacuated and provided with temporary accommodations.

The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed about the crash and dispatched the ministers of health and emergencies along with the local governor to the site. Yeysk, a city of 90,000, is home to a big Russian air base.

Surveillance cam videos posted on Russian messaging app channels showed a plane exploding in a giant fireball. Other videos showed an apartment building engulfed by flames and loud bangs from the apparent detonation of the warplane's weapons.

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

Monday's accident marked the 10th reported non-combat crash of a Russian warplane since Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24. Military experts have noted that as the number of Russian military flights increased sharply during the fighting, so did the crashes.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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