At least 4,000 tons of shells exploded near a military testing ground around 40 kilometers from the Central Russian city of Orenburg, prompting a mass evacuation of two nearby settlements.

Those 4,000 tons included 1,379 tons of 100mm shells, 400 tons of air bombs and 2,300 tons of 280mm reactive shells, the head of the military investigative committee announced.

The explosions sparked a fire in 15 hectares of nearby dead grass. Local emergency services said that the fire does not threaten populated areas.

Witnesses recorded video of a massive plume of smoke rising into the air shortly after the explosions. Local residents said that the blasts were powerful enough to cause windows to shake dozens of kilometers away from the epicenter.

http://therebel.org/politics/europe/149-russia/39821-4000-tons-of-shells-explode-in-central-russia-leave-mushroom-cloud-like-plume-of-smoke-photos-video