Fire at Russian military depot extinguished

Firefighters secure perimeter of an ammunition depot at a military base in Russia's city of Ulyanovsk November 14, 2009.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
A fire at a military depot in Russia's Ural city of Ulyanovsk had been put out, a spokeswoman for the regional emergencies ministry said on Saturday.

"The blaze at three ammunition depots was completely extinguished at 0:30 Moscow time (2130 GMT)," she was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti news agency.


Firefighters and emergency ministry workers secure perimeter of an ammunition depot at a military base in Russia's city of Ulyanovsk November 14, 2009.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
The Russian Defense Ministry said at least two firefighters were dead and 44 were injured after a series of explosions ripped through the military depot on Friday.

The bodies of two firefighters, who were earlier reported to be missing, had been found at the site, Defense Ministry spokesman Alexei Kuznetsov was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.

According to the ministry, the blasts were believed to have occurred while ammunition was being destroyed at the navy depot. An investigation into the cause of the accident is currently underway.

Source: Xinhua