A powerful explosion has occurred at the KNDS Ammo Italy factory in Colleferro, near Rome, where medium- and large-calibre ammunition for land and naval forces is manufactured, according to international news agencies and the Italian media.
KNDS Ammo Italy is part of the KNDS Group, a European defence company formed through the merger of the German firm Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and the French firm Nexter Systems. In October 2024, KNDS announced the opening of a branch in Ukraine.
Telegram channels have published eyewitness footage of the moment of the explosion. Shortly before this, a fire broke out at the site, which firefighters, accompanied by police, arrived to extinguish. “Complex operations” are ongoing, the police told AFP, without providing further details immediately.
“The situation is under control,” Colleferro’s mayor, Giulio Calamita, told journalists, adding that he was awaiting confirmation that there were no casualties or injuries.
The Ansa news agency reports that there were around 20 people on shift. There have been no reports of casualties or people missing, according to the Corriere della Sera.
According to preliminary information, a fire broke out in the compactor area of the gunpowder pressing workshop. The hot weather and wind contributed to the spread of the fire. The cause of the fire has not been reported.
On 10 August, a fire broke out at the EMCO facility in Bulgaria. The fire spread to an ammunition store, triggering a chain reaction of explosions. Explosions had previously occurred at facilities belonging to EMCO, which supplies weapons to Ukraine, in 2022 and 2023.
EMCO’s owner, Emilian Gebrev, had previously claimed that in April 2015, agents of Russia’s GRU had attempted to poison him in the Bulgarian city of Burgas, where he lived. Forensic analysis established that a ‘Novichok’-class substance was used during the attempt on the businessman’s life. Gebrev linked the attempt to the fact that his company was supplying weapons to Ukraine, as well as to Russia’s likely interest in his business.