MOSCOW, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- A Russian Sukhoi SU-24 frontline bomber crashed in the Ural mountains, the Central Military District prosecutor's office said Tuesday.
According to the prosecutor's spokesman, Alexei Okatyev, the crash happened at 12:54 Moscow time (0854 GMT) during a training flight in Chelyabinsk region near the border between Asia and Europe.
"The pilots ejected, they are alive. There are no casualties on the ground either," Okatyev told reporters.
The two pilots were rescued by a helicopter, he said.
The military prosecutor said the bomber was not carrying weapons and it crashed in forest 40 km from the nearest village in a remote area of Chelyabinsk.
Preliminary investigation showed the bomber lost steadiness after its aerodynamic shroud was destroyed in mid-air, said the spokesman.
The SU-24 supersonic bomber is capable carrying 7,500 kg of bombs, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles.
There have been about 100 crashes involving the model since it came into service in 1970s. The most recent previous crash was in February this year, also in the Southern Urals, in Kurgan region.
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