16 killed in blast at gunpowder plant in Russia
Sixteen people have been killed in an explosion and fire at a gunpowder and chemicals plant in western Russia’s Ryazan province on Friday.
The disaster killed nearly an entire shift of 17 workers who were at the site, according to a list of names on social media, reported Reuters. One person has been hospitalised with serious injuries, said local officials.
Russia’s emergencies ministry said the blast occurred at the Elastik factory, about 270 kilometres southeast of Moscow.
A video uploaded on social media showed a huge, yellow fireball rising in the air from the site.
An #explosion at the Elastic plant near Ryazan, #Russia, killed 16 people - almost the entire shift of workers who came to the plant in the morning. Another person was injured. pic.twitter.com/r7CiYHK8Cr
— Aleksander Onishchuk (@Brave_spirit81) October 22, 2021
At least 170 emergency workers and 50 vehicles are dealing with the fire.
A failure to observe proper technical process caused the accident, according to a source cited by Russian news agency TASS.
Photos showed firefighters standing next to a brick building that appeared to have been partly demolished by the blast.
