Russian fighter jet crashes in Syria

A Russian military jet Su-30SM has crashed off the coast of Syria’s Latakia, killing two pilots on board, the Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed.

Pilots “fought to take the aircraft under control till the last minute,” the Russian Defense ministry said. Both of them died as the result of the incident.

The crash may have been caused by a bird hitting the engine, the ministry said, citing preliminary data. The aircraft did not come under fire.