An explosion at a factory in the Russian city of Dzerzhinsk has left 19 people injured, local media report.

According to a source quoted by Interfax news agency, the factory was used to produce and store high-explosive bombs.

They add that the facility at the JSC Kristal Research Institute has now been completely destroyed.

A factory official says five people were inside at the time of the blast, and they had been safely evacuated.

Firefighters in the city say they do not know if anyone else is still inside the building.

Images posted on social media appear to show a huge mushroom cloud billowing out over the blast area.

All 19 injured people are receiving medical treatment and emergency services are still on the scene, a spokeswoman for the local health ministry told Interfax.

“We are talking about shrapnel wounds of mild and moderate severity,” she added.

A spokesman from the local emergency ministry told Russian news agencies that there was a “technical explosion” in one of the workshops, which caused a fire of around 100 sq m.

Last April three people died in another factory blast in Dzerzhinsk, which is believed to be one of the world’s most polluted cities.

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