On Wednesday morning, a massive explosion rocked a factory in the Moscow region, injuring dozens and damaging nearby buildings.
Six people were reported to be in intensive care.
The incident happened at the Zagorsk optical-mechanical plant located northeast of the Russian capital city.
Videos of the blast show a huge mushroom of smoke rising over the plant and numerous social media posts capture residents’ shock as a huge fiery blast occurred behind a parking lot at 10:40 am local time (3:40 am ET).
Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov reported that the blast occurred at an onsite pyrotechnics warehouse rented by a “private company” during his remarks on Telegram.
At least 56 people have been injured due to the explosion and three individuals are currently being treated under serious condition after being rescued from under rubble according to Russia’s health ministry which was quoted by Tass news agency.
Governor Vorobyov also confirmed that windows of houses nearby had been shattered by force of the explosion and that a nearby sport complex had been partially damaged as well.
Though there is still no official confirmation as to what caused this incident, some officials such as deputy Sergey Pakhomov pointed out that it may have been due to “a violation of technological processes” while state media reported citing emergency officials suggested it could have been due to “human factor”.
This particular plant specializes in making optical devices for law enforcement agencies and civilians alike.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported early Wednesday that two drones were shot down by air defense systems over its capital city but thankfully no casualties were reported due to this attack, though whether or not these events are related remains unknown.
The Kremlin has blamed Ukraine for recent drone attacks on Moscow capital and surrounding regions leading up until now with investigations still ongoing regarding this latest incident near Zagorsk optical-mechanical plant.
