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7 Dead, 9 Missing in Russian Gunpowder Factory Blast

File Photo - Smoke rising from the site of blasts at an explosives plant in the town of Dzerzhinsk. (Reuters)
File Photo - Smoke rising from the site of blasts at an explosives plant in the town of Dzerzhinsk. (Reuters)
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7 Dead, 9 Missing in Russian Gunpowder Factory Blast

File Photo - Smoke rising from the site of blasts at an explosives plant in the town of Dzerzhinsk. (Reuters)
File Photo - Smoke rising from the site of blasts at an explosives plant in the town of Dzerzhinsk. (Reuters)

An explosion and fire at a gunpowder factory in Russia on Friday killed at least seven people, while nine remain missing, emergency officials said.

The Emergency Situations Ministry said the explosion hit the Elastik factory in the Ryazan region, about 270 kilometers (about 167 miles) southeast of Moscow.

Russian news reports said that all those missing are believed 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, reported The Associated Press.

Officials are looking at violations of safety procedures or a short circuit among possible causes.

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Freed Spanish Hostage Set to Land in Algerian Air Base

Gilbert Navarro, a Spanish national who was kidnapped in south Algeria and transported by his captors to north Mali, is handed over to the Algerian authorities after he was freed by the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), on the outskirts of Tinzaouaten, Mali, January 21, 2025. REUTERS/ Abdolah Ag Mohamed Purchase Licensing Rights
Gilbert Navarro, a Spanish national who was kidnapped in south Algeria and transported by his captors to north Mali, is handed over to the Algerian authorities after he was freed by the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), on the outskirts of Tinzaouaten, Mali, January 21, 2025. REUTERS/ Abdolah Ag Mohamed Purchase Licensing Rights
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Freed Spanish Hostage Set to Land in Algerian Air Base

Gilbert Navarro, a Spanish national who was kidnapped in south Algeria and transported by his captors to north Mali, is handed over to the Algerian authorities after he was freed by the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), on the outskirts of Tinzaouaten, Mali, January 21, 2025. REUTERS/ Abdolah Ag Mohamed Purchase Licensing Rights
Gilbert Navarro, a Spanish national who was kidnapped in south Algeria and transported by his captors to north Mali, is handed over to the Algerian authorities after he was freed by the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), on the outskirts of Tinzaouaten, Mali, January 21, 2025. REUTERS/ Abdolah Ag Mohamed Purchase Licensing Rights

A plane carrying Spanish hostage Gilbert Navarro, who was kidnapped in North Africa on Jan. 17, was expected to land in Algeria's Boufarik air base, Algerian state media reported on Tuesday.
His expected arrival at the Algerian air base comes after a Tuareg rebel alliance in northern Mali said late on Monday they had released Navarro, Reuters said.
Spain's Foreign Ministry said on Friday that a Spanish man had been kidnapped in North Africa.
El Pais newspaper reported that the man was kidnapped in southern Algeria by an
extremist group and taken to Mali, though the Foreign Ministry did not confirm that information.
In a post on X, one of the leaders of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) said Spanish national Gilbert Navarro "kidnapped in Algeria a few days ago" and transported by his captors to north Mali had been freed by FLA forces on Monday. An FLA spokesperson, Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, said on X that the FLA had freed Navarro, who was in good health, and that more details would follow.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Spain is in a dispute between Morocco and Algeria over the Western Sahara, which was controlled by Spain until 1975 and is now claimed by Morocco and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which seeks its independence.