BELGRADE (Reuters) – Four explosions at an ammunition factory in western Serbia killed six people and wounded at least eight on Thursday, a police official said.
Police, firefighters and the military sealed off the area around the Prvi Partizan ammunition factory in the town of Uzice, some 160 km (100 miles) west of the capital Belgrade, said Deputy Interior Minister Predrag Maric.
"Rescuers found six bodies inside an ammunition loading facility. That's the death toll. The injured people have been hospitalized," Maric said.
Prvi Partizan is Serbia's largest ammunition factory. It produces military and hunting ammunition as well as gun powder and explosives.
Maric said firefighters had "doused the fires and there is no danger of more explosions." He did not elaborate about the causes of the blast pending the end of the initial investigation.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic was on his way to the site, said a ministry spokeswoman.
Serbian defense industries have stepped up production in past two years, mainly exporting to Iraq, Libya, the United States and Myanmar. The total value of export deals in 2008 exceeded $600 million.
Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac said last week that Serbia had secured a $100 million export deal for weapons and military equipment to Iraq.
Explosions in Serb ammunition factory kill six - Yahoo! News
Police, firefighters and the military sealed off the area around the Prvi Partizan ammunition factory in the town of Uzice, some 160 km (100 miles) west of the capital Belgrade, said Deputy Interior Minister Predrag Maric.
"Rescuers found six bodies inside an ammunition loading facility. That's the death toll. The injured people have been hospitalized," Maric said.
Prvi Partizan is Serbia's largest ammunition factory. It produces military and hunting ammunition as well as gun powder and explosives.
Maric said firefighters had "doused the fires and there is no danger of more explosions." He did not elaborate about the causes of the blast pending the end of the initial investigation.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic was on his way to the site, said a ministry spokeswoman.
Serbian defense industries have stepped up production in past two years, mainly exporting to Iraq, Libya, the United States and Myanmar. The total value of export deals in 2008 exceeded $600 million.
Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac said last week that Serbia had secured a $100 million export deal for weapons and military equipment to Iraq.
Explosions in Serb ammunition factory kill six - Yahoo! News
