The Ministry of Emergency Situations said in a statement that rescuers had “completed the search of the rubble”, discovering “ten more bodies”, after announcing the death of three people.
“The total number of victims is 13, including three children” and “19 people were injured”, according to the ministry, quoted by Russian agencies.
The crash on Monday evening caused a fire in the nine-story building where around 600 residents reside.
The city of Yeisk, where the tragedy occurred, is a city bordering the Sea of Azov located in the Krasnodar region, close to Ukraine.
– Huge fire –
Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed of the crash and dispatched Health Minister Mikhail Murashko and Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov to Yeisk, according to a Kremlin statement.
“At the place of the fall of Sukhoi 34 in the courtyard of a residential area, the fuel of the plane caught fire,” said the Ministry of Defense. On social networks, images filmed by witnesses show a gigantic fire engulfing an apartment building.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, quoted by Russian agencies, the fire ignited five of the nine levels of the building, covering some 2,000 m2.
The MoD said the bomber pilots were able to eject. It was a training flight according to the same source, which evokes a technical problem after “one of the engines caught fire on takeoff”.
The governor of the Russian region of Krasnodar, Véniamin Kondratiev, indicated for his part that “all the fire and rescue units in the region are involved in extinguishing the fire”.
– Marioupol en face –
Immediately after the accident “the fire spread to several floors. Seventeen apartments are affected according to preliminary information”, he added.
According to Mr. Kondratiev, around 5:30 p.m. GMT, the fire was brought under control.
The Investigative Committee of Russia, in charge of the main criminal investigations, indicated on Telegram that it was opening a “criminal investigation”.
The city of Yeisk is located on the Sea of Azov, in the Gulf of Taganrog, just opposite the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, ravaged by bombardments and a long siege in the first months of the Russian offensive.
Oksana, a resident of the neighborhood where the plane crashed, told AFP by phone that the area was cordoned off. “There is a risk of explosion. Everything is on fire from inside. There is smoke,” she said.
It was her child, alone at home, who warned her of the disaster.
“It’s a shock of course, the child was alone at home. Every night already we went to bed with fear, Mariupol is just opposite,” she said, asking to remain anonymous.
In videos and photos posted online, flames, visible through a multitude of balconies and windows, consume a typical Soviet beige building.
Since the entry of Russian forces in Ukraine, flights are prohibited throughout the region except for Russian military aircraft.
Accidents involving military aircraft remain relatively common in Russia.
