One person was killed and more than 100 were hospitalized Friday in an explosion at the world's largest uranium enrichment plant in central Russia's Ural mountains.
The incident in a workshop at the Ural Electrochemical Combine in Novouralsk happened after a cylinder with depleted uranium hexafluoride was "depressurized" at about 9 a.m. local time, according to Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear corporation, which owns the plant. Local news outlet E1 referred to the incident as an explosion.
According to Rosatom's Telegram account, "depleted uranium hexafluoride is a byproduct of processing uranium hexafluoride into enriched uranium. The compound is 1.7 times less radioactive than natural uranium and poses no threat to human health."
E1 reported that the person who died was equipment maintenance mechanic Yuri Slezkin, 64, who was crushed by a lid.
"I knew [him] through industrial relations," a colleague of Slezkin told E1. "I can say that he was an excellent worker."
Vyacheslav Tyumentsev, head of the Novouralsk Urban District, told residents not to panic.
"I appeal to the residents of Novouralsk with a request not to panic, not to spread messages through instant messengers," he wrote, according to E1. "Take care of your loved ones, explain to friends and family that there is no danger. The situation is under control."
E1 reported that according to local residents, they were asked to stay at home. Officials in the village of Verkh-Neyvinsky, near Novouralsk, told E1 "there is no reason for any evacuations."
"We are guided by the data provided to us by the company," the village administration said. "We have no reason to worry yet. We are in control of the situation, all official information has been brought to the attention of the population."
Radiation levels at the plant and the surrounding area were normal and the accident posed no threat to public health, Rosatom said. The Sverdlovsk region branch of Russia's Investigative Committee launched an inspection into the accident.
The Urals Electrochemical Combine accounts for half of Russia's uranium enrichment and 20% globally, The Moscow Times reported Friday. More than 80% of the plant's production is made for export.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.