The death toll from an unexplained blast last week at a production facility in Russia’s Ryazan region has jumped to at least 20 dead with another 134 people injured, local emergency services said
Pavel Malkov, governor of the Ryazan region that lies just southeast of Moscow, said on Friday that the incident had been triggered by a fire breaking out inside a workshop at the factory.
But it was unclear from Russian media reports what caused the fire or what exactly the factory was producing
Official Russian sources gave no details beyond efforts to find and treat the injured.
“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.
In a statement on Telegram, the ministry said rescuers were continuing to search through rubble at the scene of the blast, 320km (198 miles) southeast of Moscow.
Ryazan region governor Pavel Malkov said on Friday that the incident had been triggered by a fire breaking out inside a workshop at the factory.
There was no cause given for the fire, not was it clear what the factory produced. Ukrainian drones have previously targeted military and economic infrastructure in Ryazan region.
Some Russian media outlets reported that the explosion was caused by gunpowder catching fire.
A blast at a factory in the Russian region of Ryazan on Friday killed 11 people and left 130 injured, Russia's emergencies ministry said on Saturday. In a statement on Telegram, the ministry said rescuers were continuing to search through rubble at the scene of the blast, 320km southeast of Moscow. Footage showed injured people being carried on stretchers into ambulances, as emergency crews removed pieces of rubble.