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5 Killed in Blast at Russian Explosives Plant

The Tambov gunpowder factory in the town of Kotovsk. Alexander Ryumin / TASS

Updated with revised death toll.

Five people have been killed in a blast at an explosives factory in Russia’s central Tambov region, state-run media reported Tuesday, citing local authorities.

“At the moment, there is information about four people killed, and two others were injured,” emergency services told the TASS news agency. 

Officials later said one of the wounded victims died from their injuries in the hospital, bringing the total death toll to five.

Tambov Governor Maxim Yegorov said the explosion was caused by “human error” and “definitely not [the result of] a terrorist attack.” 

“Factory workers and residents of nearby areas are not in danger,” Egorov said on the Telegram messaging app, adding that production at the factory continued “as usual.”

The Tambov plant, located in the town of Kotovsk, manufactures ammunition for the Russian military, including projectiles for artillery systems and gunpowder for small arms cartridges.

In 2016, an explosion at the factory killed five people.

Tuesday’s deadly blast is just one of several to have taken place at Russian explosives factories in recent months.

In May, two workers were killed at an explosives plant in the Perm region, located 1,000 kilometers east of Moscow.

A similar incident occurred in April at a plant in Kazan, when one worker's wrist was blown off. 

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