Explosions rock ammo depot

KIEV: About 12,000 people were evacuated after a fire and explosions hit a Ukrainian Defence Ministry ammunition depot yesterday afternoon, officials said. No casualties were reported. Ukraine’s state security service said it was investigating possible sabotage, and the defence ministry’s spokesman said the fact that explosions were set off in different parts of the depot pointed to that.

The depot is in the Chernihiv region, 176km east of the capital, Kiev. A woman who lived 50km away told TV channel 112 she could hear the explosions.

‘‘There are no victims, wounded, injured or killed among military personnel, personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the local population,’’ a Defence Ministry statement said. ‘‘As of 7am, the intensity of explosions is two to three explosions per second.’’

The airspace in a 30km radius was closed and road and rail transport suspended. The emergency services reported gas and electricity supplies to the area had been disrupted.

Several large fires have hit ammunition and weapons depots in recent years. Last year, massive explosions at a military depot in the Vynnytsya region, 270km west of Kiev, forced the authorities to evacuate 24,000 people. Following that, other depots were inspected and significant shortcomings were found in how the Chernihiv depot was managed, according to a lawmaker who was on the inspection committee.

The defence ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.