MOSCOW, August 10. /TASS/. Twelve people are still missing after a powerful blast rocked a fireworks warehouse in the town of Sergiyev Posad near Moscow, emergency services told TASS on Thursday.

The emergency services earlier reported that nine people went missing after the explosion.

"According to the specified data, the fate of 12 people still remains unknown. The search efforts continue," the emergency services said.

A powerful blast occurred at a fireworks warehouse of the Pyro-Ross company in Sergiyev Posad on August 9. The warehouse was located close to the premises of the Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant but was not part of it, the plant said.

As many as 52 people sought medical assistance after the blast and another eight individuals were hospitalized. The blast wave smashed windows in residential buildings and social facilities in two streets located nearby.

Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal probe into the violation of industrial safety rules.