Act of sabotage could cause ammo explosions in Kharkiv region

09:46, 23.03.2017 1 min read

The ammunition explosions in Balaklia in the Kharkiv region might have been caused by an act of sabotage, Ukrainian Chief Military Prosecutor Anatoliy Matios has said.

"According to the preliminary information (current outcomes of the inquiry) provided by the military prosecutor of the Kharkiv garrison (who is staying at the incident scene), an act of sabotage triggered an explosion at several sites storing missile and artillery weapons (125mm and 152mm tank and artillery projectiles) and sparked a fire, which caused detonation of the ammunition at 3:02 a.m. today," Matios said on Facebook.

"A seven-kilometer burst zone around the site of detonation has been cordoned off," Matios said.

There have been no casualty reports as of yet.

The Ukrainian State Emergency Service said that 250 officers and 50 machines had been assigned to clean up the incident aftermath and that reserve forces, among them pyrotechnic teams, had been put on standby.