A large explosion ripped through a Russian warehouse northeast of the capital Moscow on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring dozens more, officials said.
A dazzling ball of flames emerged on the horizon, followed by a shockwave that smashed out the windows in neighboring buildings.
A private company rented the warehouse in Sergiyev Posad and used it to store pyrotechnics, according to Moscow region governor Andrey Vorobyov.
The city administration stated that one person was killed, but the governor stated that more than 50 individuals sought medical attention.
As search dogs and rescuers went through the burnt debris, firefighters could be seen splashing water on the smoking rubble of a building.
“The glass fell too, and everything”, a hospitalized man stated in a video published by the governor.
“I managed to flee. I’m not sure where it originated from or why. We emerged into the workshop, and there was smoke everywhere”, he added.
The cause of the explosion was not immediately known. Investigators said they had initiated a criminal investigation into alleged workplace safety violations.
Accidental fires are widespread in Russia, where hundreds of accidents are reported each year as a result of old infrastructure and noncompliance with typically inadequate safety requirements.
The explosion occurred while Russian officials were on high alert in response to Ukrainian drone attacks on military facilities.
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