Factory explosion in Russia: at least nine people missing, say authorities
Sylvie Claire / August 13, 2023
At least nine people were still missing on Thursday after an explosion at a factory in Serguiev Possad, northeast of Moscow, the Russian Investigative Committee announced.
In a statement published on Telegram, the regional branch of the Investigation Committee said that "60 people have sought medical help, nine are missing and one woman has died in hospital ».
For its part, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations had told AFP a few minutes earlier that twelve people were still missing. "The search is continuing", it said.
On Wednesday, a powerful explosion occurred in a pyrotechnics warehouse some 50 kilometers from Moscow, according to regional authorities.
A total of 400 people are "involved" in the search, the Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Telegram on Thursday, posting images of the destroyed site. These showed tangled bricks, diggers in action, and helmeted rescue workers, some accompanied by sniffer dogs.
"Investigators conducted a search of the Piro-Ross company, as the fire broke out in (its) warehouse," said the Russian Investigative Committee.
"Thirty-four people were questioned as witnesses" and the company's technical director was arrested "as a suspect", the investigative body added.
The regional governor, Andrey Vorobyov, assured us on Wednesday that investigators believed it was not a drone attack, even though the Russian capital and its region are regularly targeted by such attacks attributed to Ukraine.