Powerful explosion occurs at petrochemical plant in Tatarstan, leaving over 50 injured, one dead

According to Ukrinform, Current Time stated this in an article.

The mayor of Nizhnekamsk, Radmir Belyaev, said that efforts to localize the fire are ongoing.

"Specialists from accredited laboratories are monitoring air quality. No threat to residents or the environment has been detected," he wrote on social media.

The cause of the explosion has not yet been reported. A local Telegram channel, citing Russia's Emergencies Ministry, said that a "drone threat" alert had been declared in the region after the blast.

Nizhnekamskneftekhim is part of Sibur, the largest petrochemical holding in Russia. According to the company's website, the plant is one of the world's largest producers of synthetic rubber and a key enterprise in the Volga cluster of the holding.

Earlier reports from the Telegram channel ASTRA said that 13 people were injured, seven of whom were hospitalized.

Later, the company itself reported one fatality and more than 50 injuries as a result of "equipment malfunction followed by a fire."

As Ukrinform previously reported, last week Russian Telegram channels claimed a large-scale drone attack, which reportedly targeted, among other facilities, oil refineries and two chemical plants.

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