Russia: 12 injured, 1 missing in ammunition depot blast

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - At least 12 people were injured, one other went missing as an explosion rocked an ammunition depot in Siberia, Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

An emergency situation was announced in the area, and three villages with more than 16,500 people were evacuated after the explosion which was followed by a fire on Monday in the town of Achinsk in Krasnoyarsk region, the ministry said in a statement.

Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu instructed his deputy Dmitry Bulgakov to visit the scene for inspection and personally control the fire fighting.

The ammunition depot in Achinsk is considered to be one of the oldest in the country, and it was to be retired by 2021.