A MUSHROOM cloud erupted over Moscow after a massive blast at a missile parts plant.
The explosion at the Zagorski plant, near the capital, blew out windows in nearby apartments and sent flames and smokes billowing hundreds of feet into the sky in Russia.
Extraordinary pictures show the towering pillar of smoke and fire after the mega blast at the plant in Sergiyev Posad.
The cause of the blast was unclear, but the factory in Moscow region makes optics for missiles, jets, night vision goggles and rifle scopes.
At least 42 people are reported to have been injured and witnesses said "the whole plant is in ruins".
Deaths are feared as first responders are desperately digging beneath the rubble.
Pictures showed nearby streets strewn with debris hurled out from the enormous blast.
And locals reported being thrown backwards by the force of the explosion.
The exact cause of the explosion remained unclear – but it came after Russia was once again menaced by Ukrainian kamikaze drones last night, with two reportedly shot down overnight in nearby Moscow.
Drone strikes were originally reported as the cause of the explosion – but local officials were quick to deny this, instead blaming an industrial accident at the plant.
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Witnesses have also a truck exploding at the site – which also produces explosives and pyrotechnics used by Russia.
Others reported hearing a strange "whistling" sound before the enormous blast rocked the town.
Windows have been blown out from nearby houses and an evacuation has been order has been issued as the 17,000-square-foot site continues to burn.
And another local report said the whole town was ordered to evacuate.
Sabotage attacks along with mysterious explosions and fires have been reported across Russia since Putin's vile invasion of Ukraine last February.
A worker at the plane, according to VChK-OGPU Telegram channel, suggested the plant was attacked by a drone.
“Something flew in,” said the anonymous source.
“First a whistle, then the light blinked and an explosion. There was "a vacuum, a flash and a roar".
“They had magnesium and gunpowder there.”
Another witness said: "It’s terrible, the whole plant is destroyed. I'm shocked.
“Imagine, we were just thrown back [by the blast] in the welding section. It's just awful.”
The governor of the Moscow region Andrey Vorobyov left for the site of the explosion.
Shot media said: “The explosion in Sergiyev Posad…occurred in a warehouse of fireworks and pyrotechnics.
“The PiroRos company rents premises on the territory of the plant.”
This company has links to defence companies.
The plant itself is one of the main developers and manufacturers of a wide range of observation devices, medical equipment for diagnosing and treating diseases of eye tissues and vessels, fluorographs and X-ray image intensifiers, as well as various photometric devices.
It is a leading enterprise for the development and serial production of binoculars and monoculars, and is believed to have links to the defence ministry in Russia.
Russian official Sergei Pakhomov said: “The source of the detonation was a pyrotechnics warehouse, the premises for which were rented by one of the well-known companies in the city.
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“The cause of the explosion is in violation of technological processes.”
Baza reported that the director of the Piro-Ross denied an explosion in his pyrotechnic warehouse.
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