Death toll in Russian factory fire rises to 24

Associated Press

Published Aug 18, 2025 • 1 minute read

In this photo, released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, Emergency Ministry employees clear debris at an industrial plant following Friday's fire at the facility in the Shilovsky District, Ryazan region, around 250 kilometres southeast of Moscow, Russia. Photo by Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP /AP

MOSCOW — The death toll from last week’s fire at an industrial plant in Russia’s Ryazan region has risen to 24, with at least another 157 people injured, officials said Monday.

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The fire broke out Friday at the Elastik plant in Shilovsky district, around 250 kilometressoutheast of Moscow. Emergency crews continued searching through debris, Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said.

State news agency RIA Novosti has reported that a gunpowder workshop at the facility caught fire and triggered an explosion. Images released by officials show some of the building reduced to rubble.

Investigators are looking into the cause of the fire.

Local authorities declared Monday a day of mourning in Ryazan.

This was the second deadly incident at the Elastik plant in recent years. In October 2021, 17 people were killed in a blast at a workshop operated by explosives manufacturer Razryad, according to news agency Interfax.

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