16 Killed in Gunpowder Factory Explosion in Russia

16 persons were killed in a massive explosion at a gunpowder factory in Russia on Friday, authorities announced.

The explosion was caused by a fire that erupted in the factory located in the Ryazan region, about 270 Km southeast of Moscow.

According to the Emergency Situation Ministry, the fire was sparked due to an identified failure during one of the production stages.

Officials initially said that the blast killed seven people and left nine missings, but hours later announced that all those missing were dead. One person was hospitalized with serious injuries, according to local officials.

The ministry said 170 emergency workers and 50 vehicles were involved in dealing with the fire.

The Emergency Situations Ministry said the blast was caused by an unspecified failure during the production process.

The initial record of blast's victims was seven killed, and nine persons missing, however, officials announced later that the final death toll of the explosion is 16 killed, and 10 injured, one of them in a serious medical situation.

According to the Tass agency, sources indicated that the emergency authorities controlled the fire before it renewed once again and led to the explosion.

In the same context, local authorities explained that the accident was a result of a failure in the process of production, in addition, authorities found out several violations in the mechanism of restoring explosive material in the site.