Russian warplane crashes into Moscow apartment building

Four or more people are dead and 25 injured in Yeysk, Russia, after a Russian Sukhoi Su-34 strike jet collided into an apartment complex Monday during a training exercise.

One of the jet engines was set aflame during the jet’s takeoff and the two pilots survived only after ejecting from the warplane, according to Russian-state press outlet TASS.

“According to the report of the ejected pilots, the cause of the plane crash was the ignition of one of the engines during take-off," according to Russian officials who were quoted in a Monday report published by the Washington Examiner.

“At the site of the crash of the Su-34 in the courtyard of one of the residential quarters, the plane’s fuel ignited,” Russian officials said.

Fuel from the jet ignited and flames swept the nine-story apartment complex. More than 350 people were immediately removed from the building.

An investigation conducted by Russia's military is already looking into the matter, and has classified it as a criminal matter.  

The Su-34 fighter-bomber plane has been used in combat by the Russian Federation since 2015 and is presently being utilized in the country’s ongoing illegal invasion of Ukraine.