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Russian long-range bomber crash kills two

July 14, 2015

Propeller-powered Tu-95 crashed during a training exercise in eastern Russia, military officials have said. Two of the crew members died after jumping out with a parachute.

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Tupolew Tu-95
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Nemenov

All seven people aboard the plane managed to parachute out before the aircraft hit the ground, Russian defense ministry said Tuesday. However, only five of them managed to land safely, while the remaining two were killed.

"According to the reports from the scene, the crew members died while landing," military officials said in a statement, after the army spend hours searching the forest outside the city of Khabarovsk in eastern Russia.

Earlier reports indicated that the crash might have been caused by a fault on the fuel line, which lead to engine failure on the strategic Tupolev bomber.

"According to the preliminary info, after the commander reported the malfunction, mission command ordered the staff to abandon the plane via parachute," Russian defense military said in a statement.

"The flight was conducted without ammunition on board," the statement added.

The five rescued crew members are in "satisfactory" health condition, according to the defense ministry.

Nuclear capabilities

The Russian plane Tu-95, known among NATO-forces as "the Bear" is a strategic bomber capable of carrying nuclear weapons and cruise missiles.

Different versions of the aircraft have been an essential part of Kremlin air power for decades, with early models conducting long-range patrols in the 1950s. The Russian air force has over 60 of such bombers, estimates say.

The Tu-95, which reportedly suffered engine failure on Tuesday, was over 20 years old.

Air Force loses

The Tuesday crash was only the latest in the string of recent malfunctions and crashes involving Russian military planes. Last week, two pilots died in Su-24 fighter crash, and two MiG-29 have been destroyed since early June, with pilots ejecting themselves before impact.

A Su-34 bomber also malfunctioned and rolled over on the runway on June 3, with another Tu-95 catching fire on the runway several days later.

In another recent tragedy involving the Russian army, 23 soldiers have been killed by debris when their barracks collapsed in Siberia, on Monday.

dj/jil (AFP, dpa, Interfax)