Penza, 16 March 2016. PenzaNews. The number of victims of the tanker truck incident on Austrina street in Penza that took place in the afternoon of Wednesday, March 16, increased to two persons as another man has succumbed to sustained injuries, Lyudmila Fomina, senior assistant of the head of the regional Investigative Committee for media relations, told PenzaNews.

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“According to preliminary data, the two men went inside the emptied tank of the truck for maintenance repairs. Shortly after, the gasoline vapor inside the tank combusted, and the two men died from sustained injuries,” she said.

The tragedy is currently under investigation by the Penza region Investigative Committee, she clarified.

“A dispatch of investigators and police officers is currently working at the incident site. Right now, they are inspecting the premises, questioning witnesses and taking other measures to establish the full picture of the event,” Lyudmila Fomina explained.

As PenzaNews reported earlier, in the afternoon of Wednesday, March 16, people in the Sever residential area heard a loud bang, which many of them took for the sound of an explosion.

Shortly after, the sources reported an incident with the tanker truck on Austrina street, with original reports listing one man dead and another injured.

Reportedly, the workers were welding metal in the vicinity of the tanker truck.