Number of injured in Dzerzhinsk blasts totals 89, say authorities
44 of them are the plant’s employees and 45 - inhabitants of adjacent territories
MOSCOW, June 2. /TASS/. The number of injured after the explosions at the Kristall factory in the town of Dzerzhinsk amounts to 89 people, according to the updated data, press service of the government of the Nizhny Novgorod Region said in a statement on Sunday.
"According to the updated numbers, all in all 89 people requested medical assistance following the emergency in Dzerzhinsk. Forty four of them are the plant’s employees and 45 - inhabitants of adjacent territories," the statement said.
Earlier reports said referring to the data provided by Russia’s Health Ministry that 85 requested medical assistance following the blasts. As of now, 16 people are in hospitals, one of them is in a grave condition.
On Saturday, several blasts took place at the Kristall explosives factory, which were followed by a fire. The authorities declared an emergency in Dzerzhinsk, the neighboring communities of Pyra and Zhelnino and the Lesnoi cordon. As of now the emergency rescue operation has been completed.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said that those were man-made explosions. A criminal case has been opened under Part 1 Section 217 of the Russian Criminal Code ("Violation of industrial safety requirements at production facilities").