Published: 17:37, April 19, 2024 | Updated: 17:55, April 19, 2024
One crew member killed in Russian Tu-22M3 plane crash
By Xinhua
This hand out photograph released on April 19, 2024 by the Governor of Russia's Stavropol Krai, Vladimir Vladimirov, shows the remains of a Russian Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bomber crashed in an agricultural field outside Stavropol. (PHOTO / AFP)

MOSCOW - A crew member of the Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber died when the aircraft crashed in the Krasnogvardeisky district of the Stavropol Territory, regional governor Vladimir Vladimirov said on social media Friday.

Updated information has been received on the incident. Unfortunately, the third crew member died. The search for the fourth pilot continues, he wrote.

The plane crashed in the Krasnogvardeisky district of the Stavropol Territory while returning to its home airfield after completing a combat mission. Initial findings suggest that the crash was caused by a technical fault.

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The Tu-22M3 long-range supersonic missile carrier bomber is designed to destroy sea- and ground-based targets by guided missiles and aerial bombs.