A spokesman for Russia’s Eastern Military District has confirmed that there has been an ammunition explosion at the Tsugol range in the Trans-Baikal Region on Monday.
Defense Ministry spokesman, Lt. Col. Alexander Gordeyev, said that the driver of a vehicle carrying munitions discovered a fire emanating from under the hood of the car. He then stopped the car and ran to a safe distance.
“As a result of the fire, an explosion of ammunition that was in the back of the vehicle took place, there was no destruction or injuries,” Gordeev said. The scene of the explosion has been quickly cordoned off, and is more than 20 kilometers from the nearest settlement. “At the moment the fire is localized, and an investigation is underway,” Gordeev added.
There have been a series of recent emergencies affecting military units recently in Russia, causing fatalities and injuries.
On August 23 last year an artillery shell accidentally detonated at the Ashuluk ammunition depot, in the Astrakhan Region, causing a chain reaction of detonations, which killed eight servicemen and injured about a dozen others.
In a separate incident, artillery shells began detonating in the Udmurtian republic last June, when a fire broke out at a local arsenal. A conscript died while trying to put out the fire, and at least 28,000 people were evacuated from the area.