Yemeni warplane crashes in Sanaa

Published Feb 19, 2013

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Sanaa - A Yemeni air force plane crashed in the centre of the capital Sanaa on Tuesday, killing at least 11 people and wounding 15, security sources said.

The Ministry of Defence said in a text message that the plane had been on a training flight when it came down in a western residential district.

Pictures of the crash on social media sites showed one body near burning wreckage of the aircraft. Several cars were on fire and debris littered the street. A security official said without elaborating that the pilot had ejected from the plane.

A military official said the aircraft was a Russian SU-22 fighter/ground attack aircraft. Yemen has 30 SU-22 and four SU-22UM3 warplanes in an air force with 79 capable aircraft in all, according to the International Institute of Strategic Studies' 2012 Military Balance reference book.

In November 2012, a Yemeni military transport plane crashed near Sanaa airport and burst into flames, killing all 10 people aboard. - Reuters

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