A worker died of burns and six others were seriously injured in a fire that broke out at a chemical plant in southern Russia, Russian authorities and news agencies said on Friday.
Read also: Explosion of a factory in Germany: the first reassuring toxicological analyzes
Early estimates suggest that workers "
not qualified enough
" have "
unwittingly broken
" safety rules when processing chemicals, the Interfax agency said. The accident occurred Thursday evening in a workshop of the Kamensky factory, in the Rostov region, which supplies the Russian army in particular, according to a statement from this public company. The fire was quickly brought under control and "
no harmful substances were emitted into the atmosphere,
" said the press release.
Seven workers were burnt and one of them "
unfortunately died,
" said Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade, an official of which has been placed at the head of a government commission to investigate about the accident.
According to the factory, the victims were hospitalized in the city hospital Kamensk-Chakhtinsky.
They "
are in a very serious condition
", according to the Interfax agency.
Chemicals for the Russian Army
Located in Kamensk-Chakhtinsky, the Kamensky factory officially manufactures "
chemicals for special use
", that is to say for the Russian army, aimed at "
strengthening the defensive capabilities
" of the country, according to the site of the 'company.
It also produces a wide range of chemicals for civilian use, such as antifreeze and CMC sodium salt.
Read also: Russia successfully tests its Zircon hypersonic missile
A government commission of inquiry into this accident has been created, headed by the head of the department in charge of conventional weapons, ammunition and special chemicals within the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, Dmitry Kapranov, according to the factory release.
"
The technological operation during which the fire broke out is highly automated and does not provide for the presence of humans in the workshop,
" the ministry said in a statement.
