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5 killed in mysterious rocket test in Russia, 3 hurt

Authorities had previously said that two people had died and six were injured in the blast, including three staff members who suffered serious burns.

5 killed in mysterious rocket test in Russia, 3 hurt

Representational image (Photo: IStock)

At least five people were killed and three others injured in an accident during tests on a military site in northern Russia on Saturday, according to Russia’s state nuclear agency Rosatom.

The accident took place during tests on a liquid propellant rocket engine, RIA said.

Authorities had previously said that two people had died and six were injured in the blast, including three staff members who suffered serious burns.

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Although the defense ministry initially said that no harmful chemicals were released into the atmosphere and that radiation levels were unchanged, authorities in the nearby city of Severodvinsk reported what they described as a brief spike in radiation.

The radiation statement put out by the city of Severodvinsk disappeared from the Internet on Friday without explanation.

An unidentified naval officer quoted by the Kommersant newspaper said the accident could have occurred at a testing site at sea and that the explosion of a rocket could have caused a toxic fuel spill.

There was a rush on iodine stocks during the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine, which sent a huge plume of radiation across Europe.

This was the second accident involving Russia’s military this week.

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