Russian Defense Ministry: 6 crew members killed, 1 injured in Tu-95 crash during training mission

Moscow, September 29 (KUNA) -- The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday that six members of the crew of a Tu-95 strategic aircraft were killed and another was injured when the plane crashed during a training mission in the Amur region in the far east of Russia. The ministry said in a statement, as reported by Russian media, that the aircraft crashed in an uninhabited area and was not carrying any munitions. It added that the injured crew member was transported to a medical facility for treatment. The ministry further stated that a commission from the Russian Aerospace Forces had been dispatched to the crash site to investigate the circumstances and determine the cause of the accident, though no official cause has been announced so far. Russian media quoted the Amur regional government as saying the incident occurred near the village of Krasny Yar, and that the crew attempted to steer the aircraft away from populated areas before it went down, which, according to initial information, prevented any civilian casualties. The Tu-95, particularly the Tu-95MS variant, is a long-range strategic bomber in the Russian Aerospace Forces and is used for training missions and aerial patrols. The Russian Ministry of Defense has not, in the initial information available, linked the incident to any hostile act or external attack, nor has it identified a technical or operational cause for the crash pending the conclusion of the investigation. (End) D.A.N. / M.A.A.