MOSCOW (Reuters) -At least 20 people were killed and 134 injured by a fire at an production facility in Russia's Ryazan region, state news agency RIA reported on Monday, citing local emergency service
Explosion at Factory in Russia's Ryazan Region Claims 20 Lives
Overview of the Incident
MOSCOW (Reuters) -The death toll from an unexplained blast last week at a factory in Russia's Ryazan region has jumped to at least 20, with another 134 people injured, emergency services said on Monday.
Casualties and Injuries
Pavel Malkov, governor of the Ryazan region that lies just southeast of Moscow, said last Friday that the incident had been triggered by a fire breaking out inside a workshop at the factory.
Emergency Response Efforts
But it was unclear from Russian media reports what caused the fire or what the factory was producing. Official Russian sources gave no details beyond efforts to find and treat the injured. Some media reported that it was a explosives plant but Reuters was unable to immediately verify that information.
Investigation Status
"As of August 18, 20 people died as a result of the emergency incident," the local emergency service headquarters said in a post on Telegram.
"There are 134 injured, of whom 31 patients are in hospitals in Ryazan and Moscow, while 103 patients are undergoing outpatient treatment."
Video footage released by the emergencies ministry showed parts of the plant completely destroyed, with rescuers working through giant piles of rubble with sniffer dogs.
In another video, psychologists were shown working with local residents to provide counselling.
(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Mark Trevelyan)
