Two people have been killed and 15 others were injured in an explosion at a pyrotechnics warehouse in Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia. Three people have already been arrested on charges of violating storage safety requirements.
The explosion occurred on 10 April in the residential area of Partizansky Lane.
The two-storey warehouse building was almost completely destroyed, and a fire broke out, which was later extinguished. Under the rubble, rescuers discovered the bodies of two deceased individuals. The identity of one has been established — 41-year-old Andrei Dzhagiev. Data regarding the second victim has not been officially disclosed.
According to North Ossetian Head Sergei Menyailo, at least 14 people were injured, including three children, one of whom is only a year old. Most of the wounded have been hospitalised. The condition of some victims was assessed as serious; however, authorities later reported that the condition of most patients had stabilised. As of midday Monday, 11 people remain in hospitals, one in a serious condition. The children’s condition is not a cause for concern, according to the authorities.
Menyailo stated there were shortcomings in the work of emergency services and law enforcement agencies in dealing with the explosion and subsequent fire. He said the scene was not cordoned off in a timely manner, which allowed unauthorised persons to enter the danger zone. He also pointed to inconsistencies in the dissemination of official information by various departments.
In this regard, the leadership of regional services has been instructed to develop a clearer mechanism for interaction in the event of emergency situations. In particular, the head of the republic’s Committee for Civil Defence and Emergency Situations, Aleksandr Khoruzhy, was tasked with preparing a plan for coordinating actions between various structures.
The explosion caused significant destruction in the surrounding residential sector. At least 25 houses, inhabited by more than 70 people, were damaged. In addition, over 20 vehicles located near the warehouse were affected.
City authorities reported the creation of a commission to assess the damage caused. According to preliminary data, residents of the affected houses will be paid compensation: at the first stage — ₽10,000 ($130) per person, and in case of the loss of three or more essential items — up to ₽50,000 ($650). Families of the deceased were promised ₽1 million ($13,000) each, and the injured — up to ₽400,000 ($5,000) depending on the severity of the injuries received.
By decision of the Promyshlenny District Court of Vladikavkaz, the owner of the warehouse, Roman Gudumak, as well as the alleged participants in the pyrotechnics production, 27-year-old Stanislav Usov and 29-year-old Konstantin Sukharev, were remanded in custody for two months. All three were detained the night after the incident. They are charged with performing work that does not meet safety requirements, which resulted in the death of two people by negligence. This article provides for punishment of up to 10 years in prison.
According to local media, Sukharev was a blogger and published videos of tests and reviews of fireworks and other products. He had a specialised technical education in the field of chemical technologies.
