Five killed in mysterious rocket test accident in Russia: Report

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Five killed in mysterious rocket test accident in Russia: Report
Five killed in mysterious rocket test accident in Russia: Report

Russia : Russia's state nuclear agency Rosatom said that five of its staff members have been killed in an accident during a missile test on a military site in northern Russia, the RIA news agency reported.

The accident occurred during tests on a liquid propellant rocket engine, RIA said, citing Rosatom.

Rosatom was quoted as saying that a further three of its staff had received injuries of varying degrees of seriousness during the accident, including burns. They were receiving the necessary medical treatment in specialised facilities, it said.

Although the defence ministry initially said that no harmful chemicals were released into the atmosphere and that radiation levels were unchanged, authorities in the nearby city of Severodvinsk reported what they described as a brief spike in radiation. No official explanation has been given for why such an accident would cause radiation to spike.

The radiation statement put out by the city of Severodvinsk disappeared from the Internet on Friday without explanation.

Russia media have said that the rocket engine explosion may have occurred at a weapons testing area near the village of Nyonoksa.

Those reports say an area near Nyonoksa is used for tests on weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles that are used by the Russian navy.