Explosion at Gunpowder Factory in Russia Sparks Fire, Casualties Reported

A gunpowder production workshop exploded at the Elastic plant in the Ryazan region of Russia.

The report comes from Astra.

The building was completely destroyed, and a massive fire broke out at the site after the explosion, visible from nearby settlements.

So far, five people have died and twenty have been injured.

Local residents wrote on social media that a loud explosion was heard. “There were strong bangs, and car alarms went off even on the outskirts of the village,” an eyewitness wrote.

Ambulances and firefighters arrived at the scene of the explosion. The cause of the blast is currently unknown.

It is known that the plant was located in the Shilovsky district of the Ryazan region.

As Astra noted, this is not the first explosion at this facility.

In October 2021, there was an explosion in a workshop of the Razryad private explosives manufacturer, which resulted in 17 fatalities.

At that time, Russian media reported that the manufacturer had rented production space at the Elastic plant and produced industrial explosives there, including from demilitarized ammunition.