<p>Four people were killed on Tuesday by an explosion at a Russian gunpowder factory, state news agencies said, but an official was quick to rule out the possibility it was caused by an attack.</p>.<p>The blast happened at a plant in the Tambov region, about 400 km (250 miles) southeast of Moscow. Eight people were injured in the incident, the RIA news agency said.</p>.<p>Parts of south and western Russia are on high alert following a spate of attacks that Moscow blames on Ukraine, particularly on war-related targets such as fuel supplies and weapons stores.</p>.<p>Ukraine does not comment on military operations outside its borders.</p>.<p>Maxim Yegorov, Tambov's regional governor, said however that Tuesday's incident was caused by human error.</p>.<p>"The cause of the fire is the human factor. I can state unequivocally that this is not a terrorist attack. Unfortunately, there are human casualties. All necessary assistance will be provided to the victims," Yegorov said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.</p>.<p>The fire had been put out and the plant was now working normally, he said.</p>
<p>Four people were killed on Tuesday by an explosion at a Russian gunpowder factory, state news agencies said, but an official was quick to rule out the possibility it was caused by an attack.</p>.<p>The blast happened at a plant in the Tambov region, about 400 km (250 miles) southeast of Moscow. Eight people were injured in the incident, the RIA news agency said.</p>.<p>Parts of south and western Russia are on high alert following a spate of attacks that Moscow blames on Ukraine, particularly on war-related targets such as fuel supplies and weapons stores.</p>.<p>Ukraine does not comment on military operations outside its borders.</p>.<p>Maxim Yegorov, Tambov's regional governor, said however that Tuesday's incident was caused by human error.</p>.<p>"The cause of the fire is the human factor. I can state unequivocally that this is not a terrorist attack. Unfortunately, there are human casualties. All necessary assistance will be provided to the victims," Yegorov said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.</p>.<p>The fire had been put out and the plant was now working normally, he said.</p>