A Russian military jet has crashed off the coast of Syria’s Latakia, killing two pilots on board, the Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed, according to RT.

On Thursday, May 3 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 Defense ministry said. Both of them died in 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.