Fighter Plane Horrendous Crash into Apartment Building

Fighter crashed into apartment building

The inhabitants fled in panic when a fighter plane crashed into a residential building in Yemen's capital, Sana Tuesday. The pilot and at least eleven people were killed in the accident. A dozen people were injured.

Several hours after the crash rescuers worked feverishly to find survivors in the collapsed building. There are fears that the number of casualties will rise.

- It is truly hideous. Police and doctors have pulled out five people who were completely burned, none of them could be recognized, said resident Abdullah al-Ashwal despair.

It was a Russian-built fighter aircraft of the type SU-22 that crashed. The accident occurred in connection with flight training.

- I saw the plane fall and feared it would crash into the Sana University, but instead hit a nearby building, said Mohammad al-Sabri.

The plane crashed into a total of three buildings, according to eyewitnesses. One of the buildings were severely damaged. Thick black smoke rose from the area, where several cars were on fire. Panicked residents ran into the streets.

- We heard a strong explosion and thought it was a bomb attack, said Taha al-Inada.

Tuesday's plane crash is the second of its kind in three months in Sana. Tues military were killed in November last year when a cargo plane crashed into a building north of the capital. Also the plane was on a training mission.