Publish Date: 9 August 2023 - 12:30

TEHRAN, Aug. 09 (MNA) – A powerful blast rocked a plant that produces optical equipment in Sergiev Posad, a city near Moscow, on Wednesday morning.

The explosion occurred around 9:30 a.m. local time at the Zagorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant (ZOMZ), a state-owned enterprise that is part of the Rostec corporation. The plant develops and manufactures optical and optoelectronic devices for military and civilian use.

The explosion injured 11 people and damaged several buildings in the vicinity, according to local authorities.

According to a source from the emergency services, the blast was caused by a hangar with pyrotechnics that detonated on the premises. The source told TASS news agency that the explosion was heard in different parts of the city and shattered windows in several houses near the plant, BNN reported.

The head of the Sergiev Posad city district, Dmitry Akulov, also confirmed the explosion and said that representatives of law enforcement agencies were working at the site.

Later on Wednesday, TASS reported that the number of people injured in an explosion has risen to 35, citing the head of the Sergiyev Posad Urban District Dmitry Akulov.

MP/PR