MOSCOW: At least 11 people were killed and dozens more injured in a factory blast in a Russian region outside Moscow, Russian authorities said on Saturday.

Russian state officials said the blast took place at a factory in the Ryazan region, with independent media reporting that it was a gunpowder plant. Russian emergency officials said they were working around the clock to clear the damage.

“Unfortunately, 11 people were killed,” the emergency situations ministry said on social media, publishing photographs of debris and severe damage to a building.

It added that 130 people were injured in the blast.

According to independent media reports, the explosion happened at the Elastik gunpowder and ammunition factory. In 2021, a blast at the same plant killed 17 people.

Local authorities in the Ryazan region announced a day of mourning. “Flags will be lowered on the territory of the whole region,” Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov said on Telegram. Fatal factory accidents are not uncommon in Russia.

In a statement on Telegram, the ministry said rescuers were continuing to search through rubble at the scene of the blast, 320km (198 miles) southeast of Moscow.

Ryazan region governor Pavel Malkov said that the incident had been triggered by a fire breaking out inside a workshop at the factory.

There was no cause given for the fire, not was it clear what the factory produced. Ukrainian drones have previously targeted military and economic infrastructure in Ryazan region. Some Russian media outlets reported that the explosion was caused by gunpowder catching fire.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2025