An explosion at the Sterlitamak Petrochemical Plant in Russia's Bashkortostan Republic on the morning of Aug. 19 injured at least three people, municipal authorities reported.
The plant is located in Sterlitamak, a city of 279,000 located some 1,700 kilometers (1,054 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
According to Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry, the explosion was caused by a liquified gas fire, which is still being extinguished. There was no indication of any outside interference at the time of this publication.
Earlier in August, an explosion at the state-owned Rostec Avangard military manufacturing plant, also located in Sterlitamak, killed three factory workers.
According to reports, the explosion occurred after a repair crew dismantled a pipeline in one of the workshops.
The Russian Investigative Committee said the workers may have violated safety guidelines when cutting the pipes.
The plant reportedly produces parts for multiple launch rocket systems.
Martin Fornusek
