MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Russian government evacuated more than 2,300 villagers in the Ryazan region on Wednesday and five others were taken to the hospital after a chimney was lit in an ammunition depot, sending thick smoke into the air.
The explosion of ammunition in the warehouse may be heard in photographs circulating on social media. A witness in one of the videos said shrapnel and ashes fell from the sky. Reuters may simply not find out the videos.
The depot housed 110 garage amenities containing missiles and artillery ammunition, and shells may be heard detonating once every five to 10 seconds, according to news firm RIA citing the emergency.
Six other people were injured and five of them were taken to the hospital, the TASS news firm said it mentioned to a source.
The state of emergency was declared in the region, its governor said in comments disseminated through the RIA news agency.
The Ministry of Emergency States said a road was closed and at least 14 villages had been evacuated within five kilometres of the depot 260 kilometers (162 miles) southeast of Moscow, The News Firm Interfax reported.
Fires and explosions in ammunition depots have devastated the Russian army for years and caused complaints about lax protection rules.
(Report via Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; written through Tom Balmforth; edited through Gareth Jones)
Subscribe
Sign up for our news explosion.