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Emergencies Ministry prepares 3 planes for fighting fire at arms depots

The Emergencies Ministry is preparing three planes, including with robots, for fighting the fire at arms depots in the Orenburg region

MOSCOW, June 11 (Itar-Tass) —— The Emergencies Ministry is preparing three planes, including with robots, for fighting the fire at arms depots in the Orenburg region.

Five psychologists, 28 specialists from the Lider centre and four rescuers will travel aboard one of the planes.

A children’s camp has been evacuated because of the arms depot fire and the authorities are considering evacuating the nearest town of Koltubanovsky. However its residents have refused to leave.

Sixty-five children and 16 adults have been evacuated from the children’s camp in the area of the incident to the town of Buzuluk. A military unit has also been evacuated.

One of the servicemen received light brain contusion. He has been hospitalised and his life is out of danger.

The fire started at an artillery ammunition depot 14 kilometres from the town of Koltubanovsky.

The press service of the Main Department of the Emergencies Ministry in the Orenburg Region said a fire train has been dispatched from Samara to the scene of the incident.

The chief spokesman for the Volga Regional Centre of the Emergencies Ministry, Oleg Zugeyev, told Itar-Tass that the depots belong to one of the military units and occupy an area of 83 hectares.

“These depots are made of reinforced concrete. An investigation is underway to find out whether the ammunition detonated because of hot weather,” he said.

The fire was reported in the Buzuluk District at 16:20 Moscow time.

Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov has sent a commission led by his deputy, General of the Army Dmitry Bulgakov to the scene of the incident.