Russia: 1 killed, 12 injured in ammunition depot blast

MOSCOW

At least one people was killed, 12 others injured when an explosion rocked an ammunition depot in Siberia, Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

An emergency situation was announced in the area, and three villages with more than 16,500 people were evacuated after the explosion which was followed by a fire on Monday in the town of Achinsk in Krasnoyarsk region, the ministry said in a statement.

Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu instructed his deputy Dmitry Bulgakov to visit the scene for inspection and personally control the fire fighting.

Russian Investigative Committee launched a criminal case following the incident.

The fire broke out during the loading-unloading operation of the ammunition supplies because of an unspecified cause.

Fire fighting vehicle rushed to the scene within minutes but failed to respond to the fire as the detonation had already started, the committee said.

The ammunition depot in Achinsk is considered to be one of the oldest in the country, and it was to be retired by 2021.