MOSCOW (AP) -- One firefighter was killed and three other people were missing after a gas leak caused a massive explosion at a helium factory in central Russia, emergency officials reported Saturday.
The blast at the factory in Orenburg, about 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) southeast of Moscow, occurred around 2:55 p.m. (1055 GMT), according to a duty officer at the Emergency Situations Ministry who declined to give his name.
Firefighters spent five hours putting out the blaze, which sent thick smoke and balls of fire hundreds of meters (yards) into the air above the factory, Russian RTR television reported.
Three people were hospitalized with serious burns, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. Rescuers were searching for three other people, the official said.
The resulting fire destroyed several buildings at the plant and more than 200 people had to be evacuated from the site, ITAR-Tass said.
