Thousands evacuated after Russian military base blast

[Guest guest]

http://www.euronews.net/2011/06/03/thousands-evacuated-after-russian-military-ba\

se-blast/

Thousands evacuated after Russian military base blast

03/06 16:13 CET

At least 28 000 people were evacuated from their homes on Friday as fires raged

around a military weapons depot in Russia.

Tonnes of artillery shells and rockets are stored at the base near the town of

Izhevsk, 1,200 kilometres east of Moscow.

Fifty-two people are reported injured.

The explosion comes a week after a similar blast at a base in neighbouring

Bachkortostan.

Deputy Defence Minister Dmitri Bulgakov tried to calm fears, saying the missile

warheads have not exploded.

There are 10,000 to 150,000 tonnes of ordnance at the site, according to press

reports.

The fire broke out yesterday evening. Russian authorities say the situation is

now under control.

Copyright © 2011

[Guest guest]

Two in as many weeks makes this rather interesting. They mention warheads that didn't explode. I wonder if that meant nuclear warheads and if so, maybe the explosions were set off to cover a theft? Russian security of its nuclear weapons has been pitiful to say the least. The US did try buying them up, but Congress cut the funding for that program. That might come back to bite us.

In a message dated 6/3/2011 12:06:55 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

The explosion comes a week after a similar blast at a base in neighbouring Bachkortostan.

[Guest guest]

There are probably separatist militants behind it, and the warheads are probably

conventional. But it would be very coincidental if the two incidents were NOT

related.

Administrator

Two in as many weeks makes this rather interesting. They mention warheads that

didn't explode. I wonder if that meant nuclear warheads and if so, maybe the

explosions were set off to cover a theft? Russian security of its nuclear

weapons has been pitiful to say the least. The US did try buying them up, but

Congress cut the funding for that program. That might come back to bite us.