(Updates with Defense Ministry’s comment)
MOSCOW, April 29 (RIA Novosti) – At least three explosions rocked a military ammunition depot located to the east of Russia’s Lake Baikal, a local official told RIA Novosti Tuesday.
“According to preliminary reports, three blasts hit an ammo depot near the village of Bolshaya Tura,” the source said.
“Local residents are being evacuated, although no casualties have been reported so far,” the official said.
Some four hundred people were evacuated from the danger zone, according to a local law enforcement source.
The Defense Ministry confirmed there were no casualties and said the personnel of a military unit stationed in the area have been timely evacuated.
A preliminary investigation indicates that the explosions could have been caused by a forest fire, sources said.
The incident is the latest in a string of fires and explosions at munitions storage and disposal sites that have plagued Russia over the past two years.
There were two fatal explosions of stockpiled ammunition in Russia last year, down from five the previous year.
Critics of the military attribute the persisting problem of exploding army ammunition depots as the outcome of poor oversight and lax safety standards.
Updates with Defense Ministry’s comment
