Death toll rises to 20 in Russia’s gunpowder plant blast

The death toll from a blast at a gunpowder plant near Moscow rose to 20, with more than 100 wounded, the authorities said on Monday, as a probe began into possible industrial safety violations.

Eleven people were initially reported dead after Friday’s explosion at the Elastik gunpowder and ammunition factory in Ryazan, about 200 kilometres (120 miles) southeast of Moscow, independent media said.

“Twenty people have died as a result of the accident,” the local administration said on Monday, adding that there were “134 injured, of whom 31 were hospitalised”.

The authorities did not officially name the plant, despite announcing Monday as a day of mourning in the region.

According to the 112 Telegram channel, which has deep sourcing in law enforcement, the blast was allegedly triggered by a rogue shell detonation.

The factory had received multiple warnings from authorities on labour safety previously, it added.

Images shared by the emergency ministry showed one of the factory halls reduced to rubble, and officials said a search and rescue operation was still ongoing

Russia’s main investigative body has opened a criminal case into violating industrial safety rules, indicating that the blast was unlikely to have been triggered by a Ukrainian attack.

Since President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine in 2022, Kyiv has retaliated with a series of sabotage attacks on Russian industry and infrastructure.

However, fatal factory accidents are not uncommon in Russia, largely due to chronic safety violations resulting from mismanagement.

In 2021, another deadly blast killed 17 people at the same plant, as a result of which some of its management received prison sentences.