At least three people were injured by an explosion and fire at a petrochemical plant in the republic of Bashkortostan, local authorities said early Monday.
The mayor’s office in the city of Sterlitamak said the explosion occurred at a “product pipeline” of the Sterlitamakskiy Neftekhimicheskiy plant. The city is located around 120 kilometers (74.6 miles) south of the regional capital Ufa.
Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said liquefied gas began burning after a “depressurization on an overhead gas pipeline.”
The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear. Fire crews were able to contain the fire after about an hour.
Eyewitness photos and videos showed thick black smoke billowing out of the plant. At least one security camera video caught the moment of the explosion followed by fire shortly before noon local time.
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