Woman dies in blast at arms factory in western Romania

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian emergency officials say a woman employed at an arms factory in western Romania has died in a blast at the plant.

An explosion occurred Monday in a tunnel where weapons are tested at the plant in the city of Cugir, followed by a fire. Nineteen people were working a shift in the tunnel when the blast occurred. They all managed to escape apart from a 50-year-old woman who reportedly returned to retrieve her handbag.

Tristan Fogarasi, a spokesman for the Emergency Inspectorate told The Associated Press that officials later found the woman’s body.

Fogarasi said firefighters extinguished the blaze after two hours.

The state-owned plant manufactures a variety of pistols and other weapons. It employs 1,000 people and opened in 1799.

An investigation into the blast is underway.