BIROBIDZHAN/MOSCOW. Aug 14 (Interfax-AVN) - The fire that broke out at an arsenal in the Jewish Autonomous Republic on Wednesday has been extinguished.
"The fire which broke out in a garrison not far from the village of Bobstovo, 80 kilometers from Birobidzhan, the republic's capital, had been extinguished by 8:40 a.m. Moscow time (0440 GMT) on Thursday," a source in local law-enforcement agencies told Interfax-Military News Agency.
At about 2:00 a.m. Moscow time (2200 GMT), flames had spread from four self-propelled artillery pieces loaded with 122-mm shells to a depot filled with projectiles and cartridges for firearms, he said.
The ammunition stopped exploding at 4:00 a.m. Moscow time (0000 GMT), after which fire brigades were able to start extinguishing the blaze.
The source confirmed that two officers, named Kosterev and Vik, who tried to drive trucks loaded with shells out of their garages, were killed.
Five other servicemen suffered injuries and were hospitalized, the source said.