Three factory workers were killed in the Russian republic of Tatarstan on Tuesday when an explosion tore through the chemical plant where they worked, Interfax news agency reported.
Part of the roof of the Tatazot plant in Mendeleyevsk was ripped off by the force of the blast, which happened when a gas turbine -- unused for five years -- was started up, according to the emergencies ministry.
The explosion released a toxic cloud of 10 tons of ammonia gas into the atmosphere, which was dispersed by wind currents before it could reach a nearby settlement, local environmental sources said -- MOSCOW (AFP)
