31 Aug 2018 15:26

Gas-air mixture explosion in Samara didn't cause fire - Emergency Situations Ministry

SAMARA. Aug 31 (Interfax) - The explosion at the Kuznetsov enterprise in which two people died did not cause a fire or other damage, the press service for the regional branch of the Emergency Situations Ministry told Interfax.

"The news of a workplace accident in which two people were killed came at 12:14 p.m. Moscow time. Upon arrival at the site, it was determined that there was no destruction or fire at the scene of the accident," the press service said.

According to the regional branch of the Investigative Committee, the explosion occurred while workers were cleaning an oxygen reservoir at a branch of the company Kuznetsov in the settlement of Pribrezhny in the Krasnoglinsky district of Samara.

The incident did not affect the plant's operation, an informed source said. "The plant is working, all production processes are going in strict accordance to schedule," the source said.

Kuznetsov (formerly Motorostroitel) manufactures gas turbine aviation engines, liquid rocket engines, and gas turbines for ground use in the gas and energy industry. It is the main supplier of actuating units for gas-pumping machines for Gazprom's main gaslines.