This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-europe-13639930
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Evacuation after arms depot blaze near Izhevsk Russia | Evacuation after arms depot blaze near Izhevsk Russia |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Some 28,000 people have been evacuated from near the Russian city of Izhevsk, where a fire broke out at an arms depot housing artillery shells and rockets. | |
At least 45 people were injured and hundreds of homes are reported to have been damaged in the overnight fire. | At least 45 people were injured and hundreds of homes are reported to have been damaged in the overnight fire. |
Shells detonated by the blaze caused windows as far away as 10km (6 miles) to shatter. | |
The arms depot is in the Udmurtia region of the western Urals, 900km (560 miles) east of Moscow. | The arms depot is in the Udmurtia region of the western Urals, 900km (560 miles) east of Moscow. |
It stores artillery shells, rocket-propelled missiles and old ammunition. | It stores artillery shells, rocket-propelled missiles and old ammunition. |
Some reports suggest the blaze may have been sparked by a discarded cigarette. | Some reports suggest the blaze may have been sparked by a discarded cigarette. |
The fire has interrupted the flow of oil along a nearby pipeline. | The fire has interrupted the flow of oil along a nearby pipeline. |
Second in a week | Second in a week |
Emergency teams have flown from the Russian capital to the scene where firefighters are battling the blaze. | Emergency teams have flown from the Russian capital to the scene where firefighters are battling the blaze. |
It would take at least two days to douse the fire, a military source told the Interfax news agency. | |
Balls of fire rose from the depot, according to eyewitness accounts. | Balls of fire rose from the depot, according to eyewitness accounts. |
There were two or three loud blasts every minute, a defence ministry official said. | |
Two elderly people living near the depot have died of heart attacks caused by stress from the explosions, regional health minister Vladimir Muzlov said. | Two elderly people living near the depot have died of heart attacks caused by stress from the explosions, regional health minister Vladimir Muzlov said. |
"There was an explosion and then a fire. The windows shattered and everything shook," a resident, Klara Taufikovna, told a Russian news website. | |
"We were all very frightened, we didn't know what to do, where to run or even what happened." | |
This is the second time in a week that a Russian ammunition dump has exploded. | This is the second time in a week that a Russian ammunition dump has exploded. |
An arms depot caught fire in the Russian region of Bashkiria at the end of May. | An arms depot caught fire in the Russian region of Bashkiria at the end of May. |