Military plant blast kills officer; 3 missing, 25 injured

Military plant blast kills officer; 3 missing, 25 injured

The victim has been named as Lt. Colonel Miroslav Perisic.

The persons who remain missing as of Wednesday morning are Captain Darko Kostic and civilians Dejan Kovacevic and Zeljko Nikolic.

A group of 74 workers has been evacuated to safety.

Defense Minister Zoran Djordjevic told RTS that there is the danger of new explosions at the plant, and that he "personally formed a commission to investigate the causes of the accident."

The Army is using four drones and a robotized vehicle to search the zone of the explosion.

The depot where the blast happened on Tuesday afternoon was used to store a large quantity of rifle grenades and other ammunition.

The daily Blic reported earlier in the day that there was a second blast and that the roof on the building collapsed, trapping an unknown number of people. The explosives in the depot were being prepared for dissembling and safe destruction.

The police in Kragujevac said there was no need to evacuate a nearby residential area.

The military institution where the accident took place overhauls and produces ammunition, ammunition elements and mining explosive items.