Russian state media reported that an explosion at a factory near Moscow injured at least 60 people

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At least 60 people were injured and eight are still missing, following an explosion at an industrial factory in the north-east of the country Moscow On Wednesday, the official Russian news agency TASS quoted a local official

TASS reported that the explosion occurred at the Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant in the town of Sergiev Posad. The plant is a developer and manufacturer of optical and optoelectronic devices for the Russian military, law enforcement agencies, industry and healthcare.

In the hours after the explosion on Wednesday morning, Russian state media reported that the source of the explosion was a pyrotechnics warehouse rented by a third company on the site of the Zagorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant.

Rescue teams continued to work at the site Wednesday afternoon amid fears more people may remain under the rubble. Rescue workers will need about 12 hours to clear the rubble. Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region, said that there may still be people, of whom three have already been excluded – doctors assess their condition as serious.

In an interview with Russia’s state media agency, RIA Novosti, the governor said, “One thing is clear, the explosion was strong, and it was in the fireworks workshop.”

An eyewitness named Nikolai said in an interview with Mash, an independent Russian media blog who was present at the scene, that there was a munitions factory on the site before it was “sold and turned into a fireworks factory”.

The company went bankrupt. It is not clear who worked there and what they did there. Nikolai said the cause of the explosion was not clear.

The Russian Investigative Committee opened a criminal investigation into the incident.

A representative of the investigation committee told the Tass news agency that there is no evidence that the factory was hit by a drone, and that the cause of the explosion is being investigated. Ukraine has launched a series of drones in Moscow in recent weeks.

They said, “As for the explosion, it was very powerful.” “And now the operational services are involved, the investigation. I can’t comment on what it was like, because journalists traditionally ask the question: was it a blow from above or an explosion from within – specialists do it.

The agency added that the blast wave destroyed the windows of several nearby houses.

Sergiev Posad is part of the so-called Golden Ring – a group of ancient cities with Russian Orthodox churches around Moscow. The main cathedral of the city and the buildings surrounding it are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.