11 Killed in Russian explosives plant blast

10 of 130 injured in serious condition

MOSCOW: At least eleven workers were killed and 130 injured in a blast at an explosives plant in Russia’s Ryazan region southeast of Moscow, emergency officials said Friday.

According to the state-run news agency RIA Novosti, a gunpowder workshop at the Elastik synthetic fiber plant caught fire and triggered explosions.

“Unfortunately, 11 people were killed,” the Emergency Situations Ministry said on social media, publishing photographs of debris and severe damage to a building.

The blast occurred during the day and was followed by a fire that completely destroyed the gunpowder-producing facility.

“An emergency response headquarters has been set up, and all departments and emergency services are working,” Malkov wrote on Telegram.

Russian officials have not named the cause of the explosion, but preliminary accounts reported by Russian media point to possible safety violations in the workshop.

The plant suffered a similar accident in October 2021, when an explosion at a workshop operated by private explosives manufacturer Razryad killed 17 people.

According to the independent Russian Telegram channel Astra, Razryad rents space from Elastik and produces industrial explosives, including from recycled munitions.— AFP