Polish arms plant explosion starts fire, leaves 1 employee dead
An explosion in the Mesko arms factory in the southeastern Polish city of Skarzysko-Kamienna on June 10 started a fire and killed a 59-year-old worker, RMF 24 reported.
Another employee was hospitalized after inhaling smoke, but his life is not in danger, local authorities said.
"We had an explosion at the rocket fuel center, which was put into operation a few years ago," the plant's chair, Elzbieta Sreniawska, told RMF 24.
The company's services put out the fire and the incident's causes are currently being investigated.
This is not the first such tragic case to have taken place at the Mesko factory. In September 2021, an explosion killed a 41-year-old woman.
In yet another incident, a 48-year-old woman was seriously injured during a blast in April 2021, later dying due to her injuries.
Mesko, owned by state-run Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa SA, manufactures various defense products, including Grom and Piorun man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), Spike-LR anti-tank missiles, and small arms ammunition.
Poland has provided extensive military support to Ukraine, leading to local arms factories significantly increasing production. Mesko signed a contract in 2022 for the supply of ammunition of various calibers to Ukraine.
Rachel Amran
