Russian military plane crashes in far east, killing six

A Russian military plane crashed in the far eastern region of Amur on Tuesday, killing six crew members and leaving another injured, the Russian defense ministry said.

Unverified videos posted on social media showed what appeared to be flames and smoke rising from the scene of the crash, as booming and crackling sounds could be heard in the background.

“On September 29, a Tu-95 aircraft crashed in the Amur region during a training flight. The aircraft went down in an uninhabited area,” the defense ministry said, according to the state TASS news agency.

“According to preliminary data, six crew members died, while one was injured and evacuated to a medical facility,” it added.

The aircraft was flying without an ammunition load, it said.

The Tu-95 is a large, nuclear-capable bomber aircraft that was designed in the Soviet Union.

Russia often uses the aircraft in routine military exercises.