Russian industrial plant fire death toll rises to 11, injuring 130 — as search continues for bodies through debris

MOSCOW (AP) — A fire at an industrial plant in Russia’s Ryazan region on Friday killed 11 people and injured 130, Russian officials said Saturday.

The blaze broke out Friday at the Elastik plant in the Shilovsky District, around 250 kilometers (155 miles) southeast of Moscow. Emergency crews continued to search through debris into the weekend, and two additional bodies were recovered overnight, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said.

According to the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, a gunpowder workshop at the facility caught fire and triggered the blast.

Of the injured, 29 remained hospitalized on Saturday — 13 in Ryazan and 16 transported to medical centers in Moscow, officials said.

Regional authorities said three people were rescued from under the rubble overnight as investigators launched a preliminary probe into the cause of the fire.

Local authorities declared a day of mourning in the Ryazan region on Monday.

“Flags will be lowered across the region. Cultural institutions, television and radio companies and organizations have been asked to cancel entertainment events,” Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov said in a statement on Telegram.

It was the second deadly explosion at the Elastik plant in less than four years. In October 2021, according to the Russian state news agency Interfax, 17 people were killed in a blast at a workshop operated by explosives manufacturer Razryad.