AMN/ WEB DESK
Fifteen people died and one person was missing after a fire broke out at a Russian explosives factory southeast of Moscow on Friday, authorities said. The government of the Ryazan region, where the factory is based, said they had died in the factory blaze in the village of Lesnoye, 300 kilometres from the capital.
The fate of one person remains unknown, it said in a statement. One more person was hospitalised with “major burns” and is in a “serious condition”, it added.
The plant is considered a strategic company by the Russian government. According to its website, it belongs to state conglomerate Rostec which brings together a range of companies supplying industrial or high-tech products to civilian and military sectors.
Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes, said it had sent detectives to probe if the factory had complied with industrial safety levels. More than 170 rescuers were working in the area, it added.
Authorities said the blaze — which covered an area of 160 square metershad been put out and did not pose a danger to locals.