Arms Depot Explosion Seals Off Major Russian Highway

MosNews ^ | 05/06/2004 | MosNews

[Velveeta]

A major highway connecting Moscow and the Ukrainian city of Simferopol has been sealed off after explosions tore through an arms depot in south Ukraine on Thursday, sending ammunition and shrapnel flying across a 10-km (six-mile) radius and prompting the evacuation of nearly 10,000 residents, Russian media reported.

There are varying reports on casualties: several Russian agencies have said there were numerous casualties, without naming the figures, while Reuters, citing the Emergency Ministry, has said no casualties have been reported.

No Russian casualties have been reported so far, although some of the towns that were evacuated are close to the Russian border west of the region.

“A fire broke out at Defense Ministry warehouses near Novobohdanivka village, where large amounts of ammunition were stored. The ammunition then detonated,” ministry spokesman Oleh Oleksandriv told Reuters.

Reuters quoted Oleksandriv as saying that metal shards had been catapulted over a 10-km radius and hundreds of firefighters were trying to bring the blaze under control. The ministry and local authorities evacuated 9,700 people from 15 villages.

According to Reuters, reporters in the region said they had been halted about 20 km from the site of the accident, but could hear a succession of blasts and saw large plumes of black smoke.

[Velveeta]

Ukrainian depot blast destroys railroad station
06.05.2004, 18.20

KIEV, May 6 (Itar-Tass) - Chain explosions at the munitions depot of the Southern Operative Command of Ukraine’s Armed Forces at Bogdanovka, Zaporozhye region, have caused vast destruction at the railroad junction of Fyodorovka.

Traffic has been blocked on the Moscow-Crimea international railroad.

Sources at the Zaporozhye regional administration told Itar-Tass the explosions were continuing and had embraced facilities where the Grad salvo systems were kept.

There were apprehensions that the storage facilities with the Uragan and Smerch super-shells might be engulfed soon, in which case the shell fragments would be falling on an area of 70 kilometers around Bogdanovka.

Theoretically, this highly unwelcome turn of the situation may have impact on the city of Melitopol, an important industrial center of southeast Ukraine. Earlier reports said the authorities there had declared an emergency situation.

At the time of reporting, a total of 10,000 locals were being evacuated from four townships around the mischief base.

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=784809&PageNum=0

[Velveeta]

Munitions depot explodes in Ukraine's Zaporozhye region
06.05.2004, 17.58

KIEV, May 6 (Itar-Tass) - A munitions depot has exploded on a base of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, located in the town of Novobogdanovka, the eastern region of Zaporozhye.

The burst wave destroyed some buildings on the base and erased a part of the town.

Sources at the Ukrainian Emergency Situations Ministry said early data indicated numerous victims.

The accident occurred at around 14:00 hours Moscow time, or 10:00 hours GMT.

A blaze produced chain explosions at the depot of munitions of Ukraine’ s southern operative command and later caused blasts of the Grad salvo systems, also stored there.

As Novobogdanovka is located in the immediate vicinity of the railroad station Fyodorovka, the accident has affected traffic at the Moscow-Crimea railroad.

Since the explosions continued and their power was reportedly so big that house windows were falling out in two neighboring towns, the authorities had to begin evacuating the population centers on an area of ten kilometres around the base.

Also, an emergency situation was declared in the city of Melitopol, and important industrial center situated 25 kilometers away from the place.
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=784770&PageNum=0

[Semper Paratus]

in which case the shell fragments would be falling on an area of 70 kilometers around Bogdanovka.

Yikes!

[Velveeta]

Sounds huge to me.

Can anyone interpret seismic data?

http://aslwww.cr.usgs.gov/Seismic_Data/telemetry_data/YSS_24hr.html

[BrooklynGOP]

[Velveeta]

Are those pics from the Ukraine?

[Velveeta]

ping

[Frank_Discussion]

Lil' Kim wasn't in the Ukraine today, was he?

[struwwelpeter]

Big news on all the channels in Kyiv.

I just saw on 1+1 (main Kyiv station) that the authorities are claiming only 3 killed and one with "kontuzii", but a physician interviewed at local hospital said that they were treating 4-5 thousands for shrapnel injuries.

The depot involved is in the village of Novobogdanovka, near Melitopol - Zaporozhiskaya oblast'. Not far away is the city of Energodar where the Zaporozhisk nuclear plant is located, but probably out of the danger zone.

[Velveeta]

Nah, don't think so. Kim probably still washing his underclothes.

[Velveeta]

Thank you for the information! I'm surprised this is not in the news here.

How far would you say that the nuclear plant is from the blast?

[Frank_Discussion]

I thought he liked to hang around train stations...

[Velveeta]

Sounds like the situation is definitely NOT under control.


(snip)Sources at the Zaporozhye regional administration told Itar-Tass the explosions were continuing and had embraced facilities where the Grad salvo systems were kept.

There were apprehensions that the storage facilities with the Uragan and Smerch super-shells might be engulfed soon, in which case the shell fragments would be falling on an area of 70 kilometers around Bogdanovka.

Theoretically, this highly unwelcome turn of the situation may have impact on the city of Melitopol, an important industrial center of southeast Ukraine. Earlier reports said the authorities there had declared an emergency situation.

At the time of reporting, a total of 10,000 locals were being evacuated from four townships around the mischief base.


Following an extraordinary chain of explosions at the munitions depot of the Ukrainian Southern Operative Command, located in Novobogdanovka, Zaporozhye region, operations of telephone lines in the city of Melitopol 25 kilometers away from the area have become faulty, and the authorities have switched off the gas distribution lines.

The latter measure is essential, as the city may get into the zone of sporadic fragment shelling, should the fire spread to the storage facilities where the salvo systems are kept.

Sources say, however, that factories in the city, which is an industrial center of southeast Ukraine, are working normally.

Alexander Rudenko, deputy commissar of the Melitopol City Military Commissariat, says the Novobogdanovka depot contains thousand of anti-tank shells, and the fragments are falling out on a territory of 15 kilometers around the epicentre of the disaster.

People wounded by the shells are being taken to a local military commissariat, but sources at the Ukrainian Public Health Ministry said there was no exact information as to the number of victims.

Doctors at the Melitopol blood transfusion station have called on the city residents to donate their blood, necessary for the wounded.

Officials at the Defense Ministry, said in the meantime, the death of at least one person, a guard at the depot, has been confirmed

At the time this report was wired, the fire at the depot continued, and eyewitnesses said the flames reached 300 meters above the surface.

Experts said to extinguish the flames was scarcely possible, as the operation might affect the storage facilities where the Uragan and Smerch salvo systems were kept.

If this happens, the fragments will be showering a territory of 70 kilometers around the base, the sources said.
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=785284&PageNum=0

[all4one]

Link to Seisomograh reading instructions

Info. from NEIS government Seismology site. Look ar blue chart for P waves, S wave and L waves. When trying to apply to the graph you posted....the final L waves look like they last for about 10 minutes and spike up 16 levels above normal....just a stab at trying to decipher this chart. Hopefully someone who has more knowledge will post.

[Jimmy Valentine]

"local hospital said that they were treating 4-5 thousands for shrapnel injuries"

Given the government's propensity for lying, e.g. Chernobyl, I would bet that this is much worse than reported.

70 Kilometers is a long way to throw material from a blast; this must have been a humdinger.

Regards,

[Velveeta]

Thanks, last I checked the seismograph was still "waving".

http://aslwww.cr.usgs.gov/Seismic_Data/telemetry_data/YSS_24hr.html

[Frank_Discussion]

Holy Sh*tski!

[El Gato]

Sources at the Zaporozhye regional administration told Itar-Tass the explosions were continuing and had embraced facilities where the Grad salvo systems were kept.

There were apprehensions that the storage facilities with the Uragan and Smerch super-shells might be engulfed soon, in which case the shell fragments would be falling on an area of 70 kilometers around Bogdanovka.

These are are all multiple launch rocket systems. The Grad system has 120 mm rockets with a max range, depending on variety, of 15 to 35 km. The Uragan has 220 mm rockets, and the Smerch has 300 mm rockets. Since 70 km is the given max range for the Smerch system, these distances seem to imply that the rockets are actually launching and flying considerably distance. No conventional explosives are going to throw fragments that far from the site of the explosion.

[Velveeta]

Since 70 km is the given max range for the Smerch system, these distances seem to imply that the rockets are actually launching and flying considerably distance.

Thanks for the input, yikes.