MOSCOW (AP) — Explosions at a Russian military storage site in Siberia set off fires, injured at least four people and prompted widespread evacuations of residents in the surrounding area Monday, authorities said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the explosions were in an ammunition depot that held “gunpowder charges for artillery shells.”

Emergency personnel were evacuating residents within 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) of the blast site in Siberia’s Krasnoyarsk region, “to ensure the security of the population of the settlements located near the depots,” local authorities said.

About 1,000 people had left settlements near the depot by mid-afternoon. Achinsk Mayor Ilay Akhmetov said the city’s 100,000 residents were being prepared for evacuation.

The state-run TASS news agency quoted an anonymous source saying the ammunition dump held up to 40,000 artillery shells for tank guns.

Ammunition depot explosions are not unusual in Russia. After the most recent incident in May 2018, a fire raged for almost a week before water drops from military aircraft and helicopters helped put out the blaze.

This story has been corrected to show the previous depot explosion was in 2018, not 2019. </s> In this image taken from video, explosions are seen at the military base, about 10 kilometers from Achinsk, Krasnoyarsk region, Russia Far East, Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. An explosion at a Russian military base in Siberia has set off fires and injured at several people. (Liza Uskova via AP)

MOSCOW (AP) — Explosions at a Russian military storage site in Siberia set off fires, injured at least four people and prompted widespread evacuations of residents in the surrounding area Monday, authorities said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the explosions were in an ammunition depot that held “gunpowder charges for artillery shells.”

Emergency personnel were evacuating residents within 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) of the blast site in Siberia’s Krasnoyarsk region, “to ensure the security of the population of the settlements located near the depots,” local authorities said.

About 1,000 people had left settlements near the depot by mid-afternoon. Achinsk Mayor Ilay Akhmetov said the city’s 100,000 residents were being prepared for evacuation.

The state-run TASS news agency quoted an anonymous source saying the ammunition dump held up to 40,000 artillery shells for tank guns.

Ammunition depot explosions are not unusual in Russia. After the most recent incident in May 2018, a fire raged for almost a week before water drops from military aircraft and helicopters helped put out the blaze.

This story has been corrected to show the previous depot explosion was in 2018, not 2019. </s> Eight people have been injured after explosions at a Russian military ammunition depot in Siberia prompted thousands of workers and nearby residents to evacuate.

A fire triggered the explosions at a storage facility for gunpowder charges near the city of Achinsk in eastern Siberia.

Authorities declared a state of emergency in the region and ordered the evacuation of residents of several districts in Achinsk, as well as towns and villages within 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) of the depot. </s> Explosion at Russian ammunition dump injures at least 4

MOSCOW (AP) — An explosion at a Russian military base in Siberia set off fires and injured at least four people Monday, authorities said.

The explosion happened in an ammunition depot at the base, located 10 kilometers from the closed military town of Achinsk in the Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia.

Emergency service personnel evacuated residents within 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) of the blast site "to ensure the security of the population of the settlements located near the depots."

Local authorities say residents don't face an immediate threat but asked people to stay away from the military base.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the storage site that exploded held "gunpowder charges for artillery shells."

The state-run TASS news agency quoted an anonymous source saying the depot held up to 40,000 artillery shells for tank guns.

Ammunition depot explosions are not unusual in Russia. After the most recent incident in May 2019, a fire raged for almost a week before water drops from military aircraft and helicopters helped put out the blaze. </s> Explosion at Russian ammunition dump injures at least 2

MOSCOW (AP) — An explosion at a Russian military base in Siberia has set off fires and injured at least two people.

The explosion on Monday was at an ammunition dump at the base, located 10 kilometers from Achinsk, a closed military town in the Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia.

Emergency services were evacuating residents from the area.

Local authorities say residents don't face an immediate threat but asked people to stay area from the military base.

No information has been released yet about the type of ammunition stored at the base. Several Russian media reports described the facility as a storage site for artillery shells. </s> An ammunition dump at a Russian military base exploded Monday, setting off fires that injured a handful of people, Russian media reports.

The blast occurred in Achinsk, a military town in Siberia's Krasnoyarsk region. "The explosion went off in an ammunition depot, evacuation is being carried out," a source with the emergency services in the area told state-run news agency TASS.

"Two sites are on fire," the source added. "In total, there are about 40 thousand artillery shells of a 125 and 152-mm caliber there." The Russian defense ministry said the facility contained "gunpowder charges for artillery shells," the Associated Press reports.

At least four people were hurt, suffering burns and other injuries, local medics told Russian media.

All personnel have been evacuated from the scene, and local residents within 20 km of the base are being evacuated "to ensure the security of the population of the settlements located near the depots.," the Main Directorate of the Russian Emergencies Ministry for the Krasnoyarsk Region revealed.

Ammunition depot explosions are not uncommon in Russia or former Soviet territories. An explosion at an ammunition storage site, one home to around 13 million shells, in Chapaevsk in Russia's Samara region back in 2013 injured around 30 people. </s> MOSCOW — An explosion at a Russian military base in Siberia has set off fires and injured at least two people.

The explosion on Monday was at an ammunition dump at the base, located 10 kilometers from Achinsk, a closed military town in the Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia.

Emergency services were evacuating residents from the area.

Local authorities say residents don’t face an immediate threat but asked people to stay area from the military base.

No information has been released yet about the type of ammunition stored at the base. Several Russian media reports described the facility as a storage site for artillery shells.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> • An ammunition dump at a Russian military base in Siberia has exploded, Russia’s TASS reported Monday.
• The depot, according to the Russian defense ministry held “gunpowder charges for artillery shells.” A local emergency services source told state media that the facility held around 40,000 artillery shells.
• At least four people were injured in the blast, medics revealed. Authorities are evacuating local residents who live within 12 miles of the magazine.

An ammunition dump at a Russian military base exploded Monday, setting off fires that injured a handful of people, Russian media reports.

The blast occurred in Achinsk, a military town in Siberia’s Krasnoyarsk region. “The explosion went off in an ammunition depot, evacuation is being carried out,” a source with the emergency services in the area told state-run news agency TASS.

“Two sites are on fire,” the source added. “In total, there are about 40 thousand artillery shells of a 125 and 152-mm caliber there.” The Russian defense ministry said the facility contained “gunpowder charges for artillery shells,” the Associated Press reports.

At least four people were hurt, suffering burns and other injuries, local medics told Russian media, which reported that among the injured were one child and three adults.

All personnel have been evacuated from the scene, and local residents within 20 km of the base are being evacuated “to ensure the security of the population of the settlements located near the depots.,” the Main Directorate of the Russian Emergencies Ministry for the Krasnoyarsk Region revealed.

An estimated 11,000 people are being evacuated, Sputnik, another Russian media outlet, reports.

Ammunition depot explosions are not uncommon in Russia or former Soviet territories. An explosion at an ammunition storage site, one home to around 13 million shells, in Chapaevsk in Russia’s Samara region back in 2013 injured around 30 people. </s> A series of explosions has rocked an arms depot at a Russian military base in Siberia, injuring eight people and prompting a mass evacuation of residents and the suspension of operations by a nearby aluminum producer.

 

 Russia’s Defense Ministry said on August 5 that it had sent 14 remote-controlled robots to help fight the fire at the Krasnoyarsk Territory Arsenal.

 

 Local officials in the Achinsk district of Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region say 11,000 people were evacuated from neighborhoods near the artillery munitions depot following the explosions and an outbreak of fire earlier in the day.



 

 Photographs of the incident show a huge explosion on the horizon with flames leaping into the sky, followed by belching black smoke.

 

 Russia state-run TASS news agency cited a source as saying that at least one Russian soldier was killed.

 

 But a source from Russia’s Defense Ministry, quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency, denied the report about the soldier’s death.

 

 Rusal, the world's largest aluminum producer outside China, said it had suspended operations at its aluminum plant in the Achinsk district and evacuated all but essential staff as a safety precaution.

 

 The refinery is located about 30 kilometers from the military base where the explosions occurred.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, Interfax, and TASS
A fire and large explosions at a Russian Armed Forces ammunition dump prompts the mass evacuation of civilians from the nearby city of Achinsk.