Moscow, Aug 18 – The death toll from the powerful explosion at an explosives factory in Russia’s Ryazan region has risen to 20, while 134 others were injured, emergency officials confirmed on Monday.
The blast occurred on Friday at the Elastik synthetic fibre plant in the village of Lesnoy, about 250 km southeast of Moscow. The explosion ripped through a gunpowder workshop that was “completely destroyed,” according to reports in The Moscow Times citing state media. The facility is known to produce industrial explosives, anti-armour warheads, and submarine gas generators.
Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into possible safety violations, though no arrests have been made so far. Local officials in Ryazan declared a day of mourning on Friday. On Monday, Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said first responders had cleared nearly half of the debris and were using K-9 units to search for survivors.
The tragedy marks the second fatal explosion at the Elastik plant in less than a year. In October 2024, 21 people were killed in a similar blast at a workshop operated by explosives producer Razryad. Once part of the state defence conglomerate Rostec, the plant ceased operations in 2018 but continues to appear in filings as a private weapons and ammunition manufacturer under the name Zavod Elastik.
Separately, Russia has witnessed other recent industrial accidents. On August 9, at least 36 people were injured when a gas-air mixture explosion struck a building at the Bashkir Soda Company in Sterlitamak, Bashkortostan Republic. Officials attributed the blast to a pipeline leak during scheduled maintenance. While no fatalities were reported, 27 workers were hospitalised. Authorities confirmed that environmental monitoring showed no immediate risk to nearby residents.
