The local emergency agency reported on Telegram: As of August 18, 20 people have died and 134 people were injured, of which 31 patients are hospitalized in Ryazan and Moscow, and 103 patients are being treated as outpatients.
Earlier, on August 15, Ryazan region governor Pavel Malkov said the casualty incident stemmed from a fire inside a factory workshop.
At that time, Mr. Malkov also declared August 18 as a national mourning day in the Ryazan area, and requested the cancellation of entertainment events of local cultural establishments, television stations and radios.
However, up to now, official Russian sources have not provided any further details other than efforts to search and treat the injured. The authorities said the case is still under investigation.
Video footage released by the Russian Emergencies Ministry shows part of the plant being completely destroyed. Rescue forces are working in a huge pile of rubble with the help of domestic dogs.
Notably, this is the second deadly explosion at the Elastik plant in less than four years. The previous incident occurred in October 2021, a fire broke out from an explosion at an explosives factory run by Razryad, killing 17 people.
