A Russian Sukhoi-34 fighter jet has accidentally bombed the Russian city of Belgorod, around 40 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. The bomb left a 20-mile crater and caused an explosion so large it blew a car on to the roof of a nearby shop.
The Regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov said authorities had ordered the evacuation of a damaged nine-storey block of flats as a precaution stating that
three people were injured and several buildings were damaged.
The bomb landed at an intersection of two roads not far from the city centre and next to residential buildings.
“Two women have been taken to hospital for treatment. With a Russian bomber hitting a busy residential district, the consequences could have been far worse.
Thank God no one was killed” the said.
The military says it has launched an investigation into the incident According to a pro-government news site, Former military pilot, suggested the conclusions of the investigation are unlikely to be made public, but lessons will be learned.
By Friday morning, maintenance workers had begun the work of repairing the busy intersection in Belgorod. The mayor said much of the work would take place at the weekend and the road would be resurfaced on Monday.
Russian jets regularly fly over Belgorod, a city of 370,000, on their way to Ukraine. It lies just north of Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv, and has come under periodic Ukrainian attack since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine last year.
Chioma Kalu
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