Boxes of ammunition worth €400 000 explode in a fire at a Romanian arms factory. Sabotage is one of the versions

In Romania, a fire broke out at the Kudzhira Mechanical Plant on the evening of August 2, and the fire was extinguished at 5 AM the next day. Boxes of ammunition exploded in the flames, but there were no casualties. Damage is estimated at €400 000. Sabotage is not ruled out among the versions of the incident, and the investigation is ongoing.

This is reported by Radio Romania Actualitati and Digi24.

At least 150 000 machine gun shells have been destroyed, and another 250 000 may be unusable. The cause of the fire is still unknown, and law enforcement has already opened a criminal case.

Romanian Economy Minister Radu Miruca said this would affect deliveries under existing contracts. There were approximately 400 000 14/5 caliber rounds in stock at the time of the incident, ready for delivery.

The minister does not rule out the possibility of sabotage. According to him, it will be possible to talk about this after receiving information from relevant specialists, and currently "all options are being considered".

"Iʼm specifically interested in: did something catch fire there, did it happen from the outside, or was it spontaneous combustion? I understand that all options are being considered, with a greater or lesser probability of confirmation. Iʼm waiting for the results of the experts [...] Itʼs alarming that such events are happening at the arms factory, and we canʼt take all measures, because these events... If we saw them, then they couldnʼt have been avoided," he said.

The police are currently conducting an investigation and research, collecting images from video surveillance systems in the unit and on the ground, interviewing unit employees, and collecting documents.

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