A person using a mobile phone stands near the debris of a plane at the crash site of a Russian Su-30 SM fighter aircraft in the city of Irkutsk, Russia, on Sunday. The Su-30SM fighter jet crashed in Irkutsk during an acceptance flight, killing its two pilots. Photo by Dmitry Reznikov/EPA-EFE
Oct. 23 (UPI) -- A Russian fighter jet crashed into a Siberian home Sunday, killing the two pilots, as Ukraine allegedly shelled the region of Belgorod, Russian officials said.
Irkutsk governor Igor Kobzev said in a statement on Telegram that the pilots were killed when the Su-30 aircraft crashed into a two-floor, two-family home in the city of Irkutsk during a test flight.
Kobzev said that a criminal investigation has started into the cause of the crash, which caused a fire and power outages in the area. He added that five residents live in the home and that no residents at the home were injured.
"I express my sincere condolences to the families and friends of the pilots. This is a big tragedy. It hurts when professionals die," Kobzev said.
There were 150 houses left without electricity after the crash, Kobzev said, and crews are still working to reconnect the power.
"We talked to the residents. We will certainly consider the issue of providing a maneuverable fund, as well as payments for the loss of property," he said. "We will not leave the residents face to face with misfortune."
The Sukhoi Su-30 is a twin-engine, two-seat fighter aircraft.
The incident marked the second Russian military plane crash in the last week after at least 14 people were killed when a Russian Su-34 supersonic bomber crashed into a nine-floor residential tower in the southern Russian town of Yeysk on Monday. Th\e Su-34 also is a twin-engine, two-seat plane.
It also came as Ukrainian forces allegedly shelled the town of Shebekino in the Belgorod region of Russia on Sunday, according to Russia's state media agency TASS citing a statement to Telegram by the region's health minister Vladimir Ikonnikov.
"Today, as a result of the shelling of the town of Shebekino, 14 people were affected. Sadly, two of them had died before ambulances arrived. They are a man and a 14-year-old child," Ikonnikov wrote in his statement.
He said that five people were hospitalized and that four of them are in critical condition.
Ukrainian officials have not commented on the shelling, maintaining a policy of silence on incidents behind Russia's borders. UPI has not been able to independently verify that Ukraine shelled Belgorod on Sunday.
Russian officials claimed that explosions were also heard in Belgorod last Sunday. The region borders the Ukrainian province of Kharkiv.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia's Belgorod region, said in a statement on Telegram that three victims were reported in one family including two men with shrapnel wounds who were treated at a local hospital. Another woman injured received care at the scene.
"There is minor damage to houses, fences and cars. Emergency services are on site," Gladkov said last Sunday.
"The task of the administration of the city of Belgorod is to assess the damage, make measurements of windows and begin restoration work."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that some power has been restored in the country after Russian troops renewed strikes on infrastructure across the country over the weekend.
Alexander Štupun, the spokesman for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said in a statement that Russian forces had launched 40 missiles and 16 Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones at Ukrainian infrastructure on Saturday.