A Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber crashed tonight in the Irkutsk region of Siberia, killing one crew member of four crew, announced regional governor Igor Kobzev, quoted by TASS and BTA.
The plane was on a routine flight and the accident was most likely due to a technical malfunction. The pilots ejected and the fire was extinguished.
"Work at the crash site of the Tu-22M3 military aircraft continued throughout the night. To my deep regret, one of the pilots could not be saved. This is the information provided by the authorities of the military command of the Ministry of Defense of Russia. My sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased pilot. This is really a heavy loss," Kobzev wrote in "Telegram".
The other pilots suffered injuries of varying degrees of severity and were hospitalized. "Specialists must now determine the exact cause of the crash. "The preliminary version is a technical malfunction," Kobzev pointed out.