Sixteen people killed in fire at gunpowder plant in Ryazan region - Russian Health Ministry

MOSCOW. Oct 22 (Interfax) - Sixteen people were killed in a fire at the Elastik gunpowder plant in the settlement of Lesnoi, Ryazan region, the Russian health minister's aide Alexei Kuznetsov said on Friday.

"According to tentative information as of 11:30 a.m., 16 people were killed in the incident. Medical psychologists and disaster medicine brigades are working on the site," Kuznetsov told reporters.

One person was injured in the accident, he is being evacuated to the region's hospital in serious condition, he said.

"The medical evacuation of a person hurt in the incident in the Ryazan region to a regional hospital is now taking place. He sustained burns of 80% of his skin's surface, he is in serious condition. Combustiologists from the Vishnevsky National Medical Research Center of Surgery of the Russian Health Ministry have joined the work on the orders of Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko," Kuznetsov said.

The Ryazan region's Health Ministry earlier confirmed the death of 15 people in the fire.

An explosion and fire occurred in a gunpowder workshop on the territory of the Elastik plant in the Ryazan region on Friday morning. The fire was extinguished on an area of 160 square meters at 09:31 a.m.