CHITA. April 30 (Interfax) - The effort to deal with the aftermath of a fire at an ammunition depot in the village of Bolshaya Tura in the Trans-Baikal territory, is being obstructed by forest fires, induced by ammunition fragments and by high winds, Trans-Baikal Territory Vice Governor Gennady Chupin told reporters on Wednesday.
"The accident was caused by a natural disaster. The weather was very complicated - a heat wave and wind blowing at a speed of up to 25 meters per second. It was a crown fire which is difficult to put out as it spreads very quickly along an unpredictable trajectory," he said.
Chupin said efforts failed to prevent a fire in the ammunition depot, buildings and infrastructure.
The threat of fires measuring five points on the fire severity scale remains, he said. The fire that broke out near Bolshaya Tura and Kadakhty has been localized, but efforts to put it out have not been successful.
Local residents were evacuated within three hours and 280 people, among them 83 children, have been accommodated in temporary housing in the towns of Darasun, Makkaveyevo and Karymskaya. They will be provided with hot meals until the emergency is dealt with.
Reports said earlier that an ammunition depot caught fire and explosions went off in the Karymskaya district of the Trans-Baikal territory on April 29 near the populated areas of Bolshaya Tura and Kadakhta.
Updated reports, provided by the Health Ministry, indicate that 11 people were killed.
"Thirty-four people were injured in the accident and 11 people were killed," the Health Ministry's press service informed Interfax on Wednesday.
Eleven injured victims have been transported to hospitals in the Trans-Baikal territory. Nine of them are in serious condition and the condition of two others is very serious. Twelve people, among them a child, received outpatient medical attention.
Fifteen emergency aid teams and a team of specialists from the territorial disaster medical center are working at the scene, the Health Ministry said.
More than 2,000 people have been evacuated from Bolshaya Tura.