UPDATE - 4 dead in military plane crash in southern Russia

UPDATES WITH DEATH TOLL, CHANGES HEADLINE, LEDE

By Elena Teslova and Emre Gürkan Abay

MOSCOW (AA) – At least four people were killed and 25 others were injured when an Su-34 bomber plane crashed in the Russian city of Yeysk in the southern Krasnodar region, officials said Monday.

Officials of the Emergency Situations Ministry in Krasnodar reported the death toll.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that "On October 17, 2022, a Su-34 crashed while climbing to perform a training flight from the military airfield of the Southern Military District. The plane crashed in the city of Yeysk.”

The pilots successfully ejected and reported the ignition of one of the engines during takeoff as the cause of the accident, the ministry added.

The crash caused a fire in a residential area in the city, the ministry said.

In a separate statement, Veniamin Kondratyev, the regional governor, confirmed the fire and said the emergency services were working at the site.

The regional emergency service said a nine-story residential building caught fire from leaked plane fuel and 17 apartments were damaged.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin received urgent reports from several ministers and the Krasnodar governor.

According to a statement by the presidential press service, Putin instructed top officials to travel to the accident site to personally control the situation and address the problems.