5 killed in blast at Russian nuclear agency test site

Five service members were reportedly killed in an accidental blast at a military test site in northern Russia, state-run nuclear agency Rosatom said Saturday.

The incident, which reportedly took place on Thursday near Severodvinsk, occurred while the workers were “testing a liquid jet propulsion system,” Rosatom said in a statement. The agency added that three others “have burns of varying severity.”

{mosads}On Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry said two people died when the liquid propellant rocket engine blew up during testing. The ministry said no dangerous substances had been emitted into the atmosphere.

According to CNN, local authorities in Severodvinsk issued a statement Thursday saying there was a brief spike in radiation following the blast. The outlet reported that the statement has been removed from the official website.

A spokesperson for Severodvinsk told RBC, a Russian daily business newspaper, that the statement was deleted “as the situation is being handled by the Ministry of Defense,” according to CNN.

The blast was one of three incidents to take place in Russia this week, with two other explosions at an ammunition storage facility.

One person died and eight were injured on Monday in a series of blasts at the facility; nine more were injured in additional explosions at the same site on Friday, according to Radio Free Europe.