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43 injured in blast at Moscow plant: Authorities

Forty-three people have been injured so far in a blast at an optical-mechanical plant in the city of Sergiev Posad…

43 injured in blast at Moscow plant: Authorities

Representational image (Photo: IStock)

Forty-three people have been injured so far in a blast at an optical-mechanical plant in the city of Sergiev Posad in the Moscow region, local authorities said.

The explosion happened on Wednesday morning at around 10:40 a.m. local time at a pyrotechnics warehouse, which was being rented out on the optical-mechanical plant’s territory by a private company, said Governor of the Moscow Region Andrei Vorobiev in a Telegram post.

Among the injured, five are currently in critical condition, according to preliminary information provided by local authorities. Moreover, five people could still be trapped in the rubble.

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Vorobiev said people have been evacuated from all the buildings and workshops of the plant, as well as from a kindergarten close to the factory, Xinhua news agency reported.

He also added that a sport complex near the plant had been damaged, as well as windows in nearby residential buildings.

Local media, citing a State Duma deputy, suggested that the blast could have occurred due to a “violation of technological processes”.

In response, Russia’s Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal case into the incident.

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