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Five injured in explosions at ammo depot in East Siberia

The fire has been localized and explosions have stopped, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman says

© ITAR-TASS/Yury Smityuk

MOSCOW, April 19./ITAR-TASS/. Russian Defense Ministry confirms fire, explosion at ammunition depot in Trans-Baikal. Five people have requested medical assistance after explosions occurred at an ammunition depot near the village of Bolshaya Tura in East Siberia’s Trans-Baikal Territory, officials told ITAR-TASS on Tuesday.

“Those who requested assistance are those who were injured during the first explosions when the shockwave smashed windows in houses. They mainly have cuts,” Denis Kurochkin, the prosecutor of the Trans-Baikal Territory’s Karymskaya District, said. “According to preliminary data, no one has died.”

The fire has been localized and explosions have stopped, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said Tuesday.

“The personnel of the military unit have been evacuated. No servicemen of the military unit were injured,” Konashenkov said.

Konashenkov said flames spread to the engineer ammunition depot from a burning forest due to a strong wind. The fire resulted in the ammunition beginning to explode.

He added that Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu sent a special commission led by his deputy Dmitry Bulgakov to the Trans-Baikal Territory. Bulgakov will be in charge of work to put out the fire in the Eastern Military District’s material supply center’s branch.

Local residents are being evacuated to nearby villages, Kurochkin and Emergencies Ministry officials said.

A law enforcement source told ITAR-TASS that the incident occurred at 16:40 Moscow Time (12:40 GMT). The source said there were a few dozen blasts. Rail traffic has been suspended for security concerns.

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