Artillery depots on fire in Kamchatka

Munitions are exploding at artillery depots in the village of Yuzhanaya Koriakiya near Petropavlosk-Kamchatsky.

Residents of five villages, all in all 4,000 people, are being evacuated, the Kamchatka department of the Emergency Situations Ministry told Itar-Tass.

There is preliminary information that the explosions were caused by a fire. Rescuers were informed about the situation at 3:38 a.m. local time (6:38 p.m. Moscow time).

A source in the Russian Defense Ministry told Itar-Tass that the depots do not store nuclear munitions and no one was hurt in the explosions, Itar-Tass reports.