H.A.
Senior Member
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2011
- Messages
- 1,445
- Likes
- 687
Thousands fled when two villages were evacuated following a series of huge explosions near a military testing ground some 40 kilometers from the city of Orenburg in Central Russia.
Witnesses recorded video of a massive plume of smoke rising into the air shortly after the explosions. Local residents said that the blasts were powerful enough to cause windows to shake dozens of kilometers away from the epicenter.
Initial reports suggested that a fire at the facility's loading dock set off shells stored for disposal on a train.
That statement was later disputed by the Press Service of Russia's Defense Ministry, which claimed no one was injured or went missing in the incident. The ministry also denied that a train loaded with shells was at the testing range, saying only three shells exploded.
A local Central hospital first reported that four people were injured in the blast, and said they expected the number of injuries to increase. However, adding to the controversy, the deputy chief doctor later denied that the hospital had accepted any patients in connection with the incident.
Local resident Oksana Kovarnitskih however told RT that many emergency vehicles were seen arriving at the scene of the blast and returning to a nearby hospital, presumably carrying people injured in the incident. Kovarnitskih had not heard any official confirmation of the injuries, though.
"We were 50 kilometers away from the explosion, it was really loud, our ceiling shook and some of the tiles came down," she said. "No more explosions are heard right now but smoke is all over, we are not sure what is going on."
The press secretary for the regional government said that three residential buildings in the settlement of Pervomaisky were damaged in the incident, and that the force of the explosion blew out the windows of many local houses. He also denied reports of injuries.
Rescue workers evacuated the nearby settlements of Experimentalny and Pervomaisky, dubbed the Donguz settlement for the garrison of the same name located there.
Military investigators opened a criminal case into the incident, a spokesperson for the investigation department told RIA-Novosti news agency.
Investigators deployed to the scene to determine the cause of the incident, which was classified as a "violation of rules of handling weapons and objects posing increased danger," carrying a maximum penalty of two years in prison. Officials said that a full investigation may take more than a month.
Shell explosions in Central Russia leave mushroom cloud-like plume of smoke (PHOTOS, VIDEO) — RT
Witnesses recorded video of a massive plume of smoke rising into the air shortly after the explosions. Local residents said that the blasts were powerful enough to cause windows to shake dozens of kilometers away from the epicenter.
Initial reports suggested that a fire at the facility's loading dock set off shells stored for disposal on a train.
That statement was later disputed by the Press Service of Russia's Defense Ministry, which claimed no one was injured or went missing in the incident. The ministry also denied that a train loaded with shells was at the testing range, saying only three shells exploded.
A local Central hospital first reported that four people were injured in the blast, and said they expected the number of injuries to increase. However, adding to the controversy, the deputy chief doctor later denied that the hospital had accepted any patients in connection with the incident.
Local resident Oksana Kovarnitskih however told RT that many emergency vehicles were seen arriving at the scene of the blast and returning to a nearby hospital, presumably carrying people injured in the incident. Kovarnitskih had not heard any official confirmation of the injuries, though.
"We were 50 kilometers away from the explosion, it was really loud, our ceiling shook and some of the tiles came down," she said. "No more explosions are heard right now but smoke is all over, we are not sure what is going on."
The press secretary for the regional government said that three residential buildings in the settlement of Pervomaisky were damaged in the incident, and that the force of the explosion blew out the windows of many local houses. He also denied reports of injuries.
Rescue workers evacuated the nearby settlements of Experimentalny and Pervomaisky, dubbed the Donguz settlement for the garrison of the same name located there.
Military investigators opened a criminal case into the incident, a spokesperson for the investigation department told RIA-Novosti news agency.
Investigators deployed to the scene to determine the cause of the incident, which was classified as a "violation of rules of handling weapons and objects posing increased danger," carrying a maximum penalty of two years in prison. Officials said that a full investigation may take more than a month.
Shell explosions in Central Russia leave mushroom cloud-like plume of smoke (PHOTOS, VIDEO) — RT
