Massive explosion at Russian gunpowder plant leaves dead, sparks huge blaze

At around 11 a.m., a loud explosion was heard, and a column of smoke rose above the territory of the enterprise. Preliminarily, the causes of the fire and explosion are not related to a drone attack.

"Today, an emergency occurred at one of the enterprises in the Shilovsky district: a fire broke out in one of the production workshops. The victims were taken to the district hospital. All emergency services are working at the scene," the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said.

At the moment, there are 5 known deaths and 20 injured, but the number of victims may increase — at least 20 people remain under the rubble, and the workshop building has been destroyed. More than 100 people have been evacuated from the plant.

Interestingly, in 2021, an explosion at this plant claimed the lives of 17 people. At that time, a workshop producing gunpowder for the private explosives manufacturer Rozryad exploded.

Explosions at Russian defense enterprises

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian factories have periodically experienced emergencies – fires and explosions, often related to safety violations or drone strikes.

On the night of August 12, residents of Stavropol, Russia, complained of an attack by unknown drones. Explosions were heard in the city. Locals reported drone attacks on the Monokrystal and Neptun factories.

In early August, explosions were also heard at enterprises in Lipetsk and Ryazan. In addition, explosions were heard in Taganrog and the Voronezh region.