Yemeni security forces rush to the scene of military plane crash in Sanaa, November last year Sanaa – Ali Rabea At least 12 Yemenis were killed and 23 injured on Tuesday when a military aircraft crashed in to a residential district in the capital Sanaa. Sources close to the Yemeni Air Force Commander say the airplane, which crashed in the Sharea al-Zeraa neighbourhood, was a Russian-made Sukhoi 22. The sources have also confirmed that the pilot, Mohammed al-Khowlani, was killed in the crash.
Sources say the pilot lost control of the aircraft while out on a training mission. This is believed to have been caused by a technical fault in the engine. The airplane landed among residential buildings near a protest camp where dozens of people who took part in demonstrations against the former president in 2011 have been conducting a sit-in.
Eyewitnesses said four buildings were seriously damaged when the airplane burst into flames upon contact with the ground, burning five nearby vehicles. Security forces rushed to the site and cordoned it before fire engines arrived to put out the flaming wreck. Ambulances also hurried to the site of the crash amid unconfirmed warnings that the aircraft may have held an unexploded missile.  
Medical sources have told Arabstoday that 12 people including at least two children were killed in the crash and 23 more injured. Yemeni authorities are yet to issue a statement on the incident.
An Antonov-model military aircraft crashed in Sanaa in November 2012, killing 10 military personnel who were on board. Authorities are yet to reveal the conclusions of the investigation into the incident.