Russian strategic bomber crashes

MOSCOW:

A Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber plane crashed on Monday in Siberia's Irkutsk region during a training flight, the Russian Defence Ministry said, but the aircraft's four-person crew had managed to safely eject.

The Tu-22, which can carry hypersonic "Kinzhal" missiles and is code-named "Backfire" by NATO, is a Soviet-era supersonic bomber that Russia has since used for combat missions in Syria and Ukraine.

Unverified footage of the crash on social media showed a plane nose-diving into a thickly wooded area not far from the banks of the Angara river, producing a huge column of smoke.

"The crew ejected. There is no threat to the pilots' lives or health," the Interfax news agency cited the Defence Ministry as saying.