Two Dead, 82 Injured After Explosions in Ukraine’s Zhytomyr Region

Two explosions occurred on Wednesday afternoon, near the village of Berezyna in Ukraine’s northwestern Zhytomyr region. The incident, which is still being investigated according to the National Police of Ukraine, occurred close to the M-06 / E40 highway.

It appears the initial explosion occurred in the production building of an industrial site on the edge of the village which in turn caused a second, more major explosion in a nearby gas station.

Ukrinform, citing the head of the head of the Zhytomyr Regional State Administration, Vitaliy Bunechko speaking on the national telethon, confirmed on Thursday that two people had died with 82 injured of which 38, including four children and a Japanese citizen were hospitalized, though none are thought to have life threatening injuries. In addition, he said that around 25 homes in the area had been destroyed with another 75 and power lines in the area suffering varying amounts of damage.

Bunchenko said that “The state, together with regional and local authorities, will fully compensate for the cost of lost housing,” before adding that “The consequences of the two explosions near the village of Berezyna could have been far more devastating.”

He said later on Thursday that fires at the scene had all been extinguished and that traffic on the M-06 highway had been fully restored. He confirmed that detailed investigations into the incident were now underway.

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