At least 89 people were wounded in a series of explosions and a consequent fire that occurred in a trinitrotoluene (TNT) production workshop in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region, the regional government said Sunday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
The 89 injured requested medical assistance following the accident, of which 44 are the plant's employees and 45 are residents of adjacent territories, TASS news agency reported, citing a statement by the regional government.
According to previous reports by the Russian health ministry, 16 people had been hospitalized and one of them was in critical condition.
The situation in the plant has been stabilized and there is no risk of a spread of the fire, which covered an area of about 100 square meters, according to TASS.
Sputnik news agency said the explosions occurred at 11:45 a.m. local time (0845 GMT) on Saturday, and the blast wave smashed glass in an area of three kilometers from the explosion site.
About 350 people and some 40 pieces of equipment have been involved in dealing with the aftermath, TASS reported.
A criminal case has been initiated, according to Russia's Investigative Committee.