by EuroNews with AP
It’s published
A fire at an industrial factory in Russia’s Riazan region on Friday killed 11 people and injured 130 people, Russian officials said on Saturday.
The flames broke out at the Elastik factory in the Silovsky district, about 250 kilometers southeast of Moscow. The emergency crew continued searching one side until the weekend, with two additional agencies recovering overnight, according to the Russian Ministry of Emergency.
According to Ria Novosti, the Russian state communications agency, the facility’s gunpowder workshop sparked a fire and caused an explosion.
Of the injured, 29 remained hospitalized on Saturday, with 13 in Riazan and 16 being transported to a Moscow medical centre, officials said.
Regional authorities said three people were rescued overnight from under the roof rub as investigators began a preliminary investigation into the cause of the fire.
Local authorities declared a day of mourning in the Riazan area on Monday.
“The flag will be lowered across the region. Cultural institutions, television, radio companies and organizations are being asked to cancel entertainment events,” Governor Riazan Pavel Markov said in a Telegram statement.
It was the second fatal explosion at the Elastik factory within four years. According to Interfax, the Russian news agency said in October 2021, 17 people were killed in the explosives at a workshop run by explosives maker Razryad.
