An explosion at a military police headquarters in the northwestern Leningrad region has left at least three people dead and led to the partial collapse of the building, local media reported Tuesday.
Leningrad region Governor Alexander Drozdenko confirmed the incident, which took place in the town of Sertolovo just north of St. Petersburg, but he did not mention any deaths.
“I’ve instructed the security officials to help the military with clearing the rubble and rescuing those who were injured,” Drozdenko wrote in a short message on Telegram. He said the cause of the explosion was still being investigated.
Local media reported that at least three bodies had been recovered from the rubble.
“One person was crushed to death by a concrete slab… [Rescuers] are trying to retrieve two others,” an anonymous source was quoted as saying by the 78 news channel.
The broadcaster shared a photo of what was said to be the military police headquarters after the explosion, with part of its roof collapsed.
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