An explosion at a pyrotechnic warehouse in a town near Moscow on Wednesday left 45 injured, six of whom were hospitalized in serious condition, Russian authorities announced.
The explosion took place in the morning (local time) in the town of Sergiev Posad, located in the Moscow region, 75 kilometers northeast of the Russian capital, according to the Russian agency TASS.
BREAK:
A huge explosion has occurred at the Zagorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant near Moscow.
The factory is one of the main producers of military optics for the Russian army.
Very bad news for Russiapic.twitter.com/Mgb4AnnCno
– Visegrad24 (@visegrad24) August 9, 2023
The agency reported that six people were in intensive care, “five of whom have burns over 100% of their bodies”.
District representative Dmitry Akulov said emergency services had evacuated nearby buildings, according to Spanish agencies EFE and Europa Press.
At least 20 buildings were damaged with broken windows, including a sports complex and several schools.
The warehouse of pyrotechnic products, according to the Russian press, was located at the plant of optical mechanics in Zagorsk.
The newspaper Kommersant reported that the affected area, about 100 square meters, was completely destroyed.
The explosion caused a fire, which was extinguished by firefighters.
The causes of the explosion are unknown, but the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Construction, Housing and Public Services, Serguei Pakhomov, attributed the incident to an alleged breach of the plant’s security system.
The company PiroRoss, which rented the warehouse, is in bankruptcy, according to TASS.
Zagorsk is a leading company in the development and manufacture of optical and optoelectronic devices for police, industry and healthcare, the Russian agency said.
Source: DN
