Three local eyewitnesses told Reuters they heard several loud explosions and saw black smoke rising from the Russian military airbase in Novofedorivka in western Crimea on Tuesday.

18:49The main reason for the explosions at the military airfield will be a violation of fire safety requirements, a source in the Ministry of Defense of Russia told TASS.

Ukraine has not yet commented on the explosions at the Russian military base in Crimea.

18:30One person died as a result of an explosion at a military air base on Tuesday, the head of the Russian administration in Crimea, Serhiy Aksyonov, reported on social media, Reuters reports.

17:57As a result of the explosions at the military airfield, five people were injured, including a child, the head of the Ministry of Health of the Crimea, Kostiantyn Skorupsky, told reporters, TASS reports.

Four victims were discharged from the hospital after receiving medical aid, one of the victims is undergoing surgery.

17:21Rob Lee, a military analyst at the Foreign Policy Research Institute who studies the Russian military, said images posted on social media showed two different explosions happening simultaneously in different areas.

17:11The Association of Tour Operators of Russia stated that the explosion in Crimea occurred far from the beach, and there were no victims or injured tourists, TASS reports.

Despite the conflict, Crimea remains an important holiday destination for many Russians who continue to enjoy summer on its beaches, AFP notes.

17:02The authorities of the Saksky district of Crimea, where the military base is located, announced the evacuation of residents, TASS reports.

16:59The Russian military also stated that there was no shelling and military equipment was not damaged.

16:57The Ministry of Defense of Russia claims that the explosions at the military base were caused by the detonation of aviation ammunition, RIA Novosti reports with reference to Reuters.

16:49The Ministry of Defense of Russia reported on Tuesday that there were no casualties as a result of the explosion at the military air base in Novofedorivka, reports the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, Reuters reports.

16:43Viktoriya Kazmirova, deputy head of the Sakya district administration, confirmed the fact of the explosions, TASS reports.

“Our airfield is exploding. Explosions at the airfield. All the windows here are broken,” said Kazmirova.

—–

Several explosions rang out near the Crimean village of Novofedorivka, Oleg Kryuchkov, assistant to the mayor of Crimea, said on his Telegram channel on Tuesday, the Russian news agency TASS quotes.

Two witnesses told Reuters there were at least 12 explosions of varying intensity within a minute. Three were particularly strong.

Videos shared on social media also show a plume of smoke in the area.

According to the Russian news agency TASS, the military base is used by the Russian Ministry of Defense. There is a ground-based training complex for taking off and landing naval aircraft.

One of only two simulators of its type in Russia, the complex is an airfield with a steel airfield in the shape of a ship’s deck. The dimensions of the airfield are equivalent to the flight deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, TASS notes.

For decades, Russia leased the Sevastopol seaport from Kyiv, where its Black Sea Fleet is based, but in 2014 annexed the entire peninsula from Ukraine.

The Crimean peninsula, which remains under Russian control, has avoided the heavy shelling and artillery battles that have taken place elsewhere in eastern and southern Ukraine since February 24, when President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops into Ukraine.