At least 42 people were injured in a blast at a major explosive factory in central Russia on Saturday, according to a new toll released by local authorities and transported by Russian news agencies.
The explosion took place at the Crystal factory in Djerjinsk, 400 km east of Moscow in the Nizhny Novgorod region.
Local authorities in the area said the blast damaged five factory buildings and about 180 houses.
A spokesman for the local branch of the Ministry of Health in remarks quoted by the news agency Tass that "the explosion of the Crystal Factory in Djerjinsk, injuring 42 people were injured between minor and medium-risk."
The blast did not cause any casualties, he said.
A spokeswoman for the health authorities told Interfax that the wounded were wounded by shrapnel.
Representatives of the Crystal factory told Interfax that five people were working in the area of ​​the blast and were evacuated successfully.
"There was an explosion in one of the workshops, followed by a 100-square-meter fire," an emergency services spokesman said.
Photos posted on social networking sites showed a large cloud of smoke after the explosion.
The Russian Federal Investigation Commission has opened an investigation into possible violations of industrial safety standards.
