SINGAPORE, November 14 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Dmitry Medevedev issued an order on Saturday for the country's weapons depots to undergo safety checks, after a fire that killed two people and injured many others.
A naval arms depot in Russian Volga city of Ulyanovsk burst into flames on Friday night.
Medvedev, currently in Singapore for a summit of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum countries, held a video conference on the fire with Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev and senior emergencies official Ruslan Tsalikov.
The president ordered the interior and emergencies ministries to "carry out examinations of all sites of this kind to ensure that they comply with fire safety rules and other operational standards."
A full report must be compiled within two weeks, Medvedev said.
The bodies of two servicemen have been found at the Ulyanovsk arms depot.
Ministry spokesman Col. Alexei Kuznetsov told RIA Novosti that the men who had been working with a fire team to prevent the spread of the blaze.
Ulyanovsk Governor Sergei Morozov earlier said that shockwaves from the explosions smashed windows in nine schools and 20 kindergartens. Due to damage to housing, 105 people have been placed in hotels, including 17 children. They are being provided with food and clothing.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the explosions are believed to have occurred while ammunition was being destroyed at the depot. Twenty firefighting crews were called in to fight the ensuing blaze, which was put out during the night.
Morozov said that six unexploded artillery shells have been found in the vicinity of the depot, and that dangerous weaponry is likely to be moved to another location. The team of 17 sappers is searching the surrounding area.
