An explosion followed by a fire occurred on the night from Friday to Saturday at a powder factory in the central region of Russia, the authorities said, citing state media, The Moscow Times notes.

Eyewitnesses reported on social networks that before the fire, they saw a flying drone and heard an explosion at the plant in the city of Kotovsk, Tambov Region.

But the authorities have not yet confirmed the drone attack. The Ministry of Emergency Situations reported only a fire in the powder factory building. The fire was contained and extinguished by the morning. As a result of the incident, no one was injured.

This is the second such incident at the Kotovsky powder factory in six months. In June, there was an explosion and then a fire at the same plant. Five people died, several more were injured. According to the authorities, the cause of the incident was human error.

In 2015-2016, there were other explosions at the plant. A total of seven people died then.

To meet the needs of the army in the war in Ukraine, Russian factories for the production of weapons and ammunition are working at maximum capacity. Accidents often occur in these factories due to the neglect of safety rules and the aging of some of the equipment.

In April, a projectile exploded at a gunpowder factory in Kazan, and a worker lost an arm. Another similar accident occurred in February at the Chapaev Mechanical Plant in the Samara Region, where detonators and explosives are produced. One person died, three were injured.