A Russian bomber plane, Tu-22M3, came down crashing on Monday in Siberia during a training flight, said Russian defence ministry. A video of the incident, which happened in Siberia’s Irkutsk region, has surfaced online.
In the scary footage, the plane is seen nosediving behind a forested area, followed by a cloud of thick black smoke emerging from there. The incident happened near the banks of the Angara river, reported news agency Reuters.
Here are videos showing zoomed in and a wide angle visuals of the crash
Hindustan Times could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.
A four-person crew was aboard the aircraft before the crash, which managed to eject safely.
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“The crew ejected. There is no threat to the pilots’ lives or health,” said Russia’s defence ministry, reported the Interfax news agency
“There is no damage on the ground. The aircraft was flying without a combat load,” it added.
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All about Tu-22M3
Tu-22M3 is Russia’s premium Soviet-era supersonic bomber which has been used in combat missions in Ukraine and Syria. Nicknamed “Backfire” by NATO, the place can carry hypersonic “Kinzhal” missiles, according to the Reuters report.
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The Tu-22M3, a modernized version of the Soviet-era Tu-22, can deploy both Kh-22 (AS-4 Kitchen) cruise missiles and Kinzhal (“Dagger”) hypersonic missiles, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
Irkutsk’s governor Igor Kobzev said that the plane crash occurred near Kamenka village and fire crews were rushed to the scene to douse the flames. He added that all four crew members who had ejected from the aircraft were taken to hospital for treatment after they suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Talking about what may have caused the crash, Kobzev said engine failure may have been behind it, according to preliminary information.
(With input from Reuters)