Russian Su-30SM fighter jet crashed off the coast of Syria’s Latakia. Two pilots have died after fighter crashed, the Russian Defence Ministry has said.

On Thursday morning, a Russian Su-30SM went down in the Mediterranean Sea after taking off from Khmeimim Airbase.

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

According to the ministry, this happened around 9:45 Moscow time over the Mediterranean Sea after taking off from the airfield Khmeimim. At the time of the crash, the aircraft gained altitude. Presumably, a bird caught the engine of the fighter. “Both pilots, who fought for the plane until the last minutes,” the report said.

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She Su-30SM is a multirole fighter aircraft developed by JSC Sukhoi Design Bureau for the Russian Air Force. It is an advanced derivative of the Su-30MK combat aircraft family.

More: Myanmar orders six Su-30 fighter aircraft from Russia

The Su-30MK series fighters are in service with the Algerian Air Force, Indian Air Force (IAF), Indonesian Air Force, People’s Liberation Army Air Force, Royal Malaysian Air Force, Ugandan Air Force, Venezuelan Air Force and Vietnam People’s Air Force.