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IN BRIEF: What we know about Salavat plant explosion in Russia’s Bashkortostan

According to preliminary information from the local department of the Emergencies Ministry, three people have been hospitalized in grave condition

© Official Bashkortostan Prosecutor's Office Telegram channel

UFA, May 16. /TASS/. An explosion rocked a paraffin factory in Salavat, in Russia’s Republic of Bashkortostan, on Friday morning, leaving one person trapped under the rubble, according to preliminary information from the Russian Emergencies Ministry.

TASS has gathered key details about the incident.

Paraffin plant blast

- Air-gas mix ignited at the Svecha (Candle) factory in Salavat at about 8:00 a.m. Moscow time (5:00 a.m. GMT).

- The factory building partially collapsed as a result of the explosion.

- Damage spanning an area of 30 square meters has been reported.

- According to early reports, furnace decompression due to a violation of the production process led to structural damage and caused a blaze.

- A team of 43 firefighters and 17 fire engines are working to contain the flames.

Injured people

- Three people have been hospitalized in grave condition, according to preliminary information from the local department of the Emergencies Ministry.

- Of the two men taken to hospital in Salavat, one is currently in intensive care, and the other has been transferred to a burns center in Sterlitamak with thermal burns, Bashkir Health Minister Airat Rakhmatullin wrote on his Telegram channel.

- The third patient remains in intensive care in Sterlitamak. A team of paramedics is stationed at the scene, the minister added.

- A search for one individual reportedly trapped beneath rubble is currently underway.

Probe

- Prosecutors have launched a probe into compliance with industrial safety conditions at the plant.

- Also, they will review the results of a preliminary investigation into the incident.

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