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A powerful explosion rocked an ammunition factory in southern Spain on October 30, injuring three workers and sending a large plume of smoke into the sky above the city of Granada.
The plant produces ammunition and missile components for Ukraine, making the incident the latest in a series of explosions and fires to hit European facilities linked to Kyiv’s arms supply chain.
The blast occurred in the morning at the Fábrica de Municiones de Granada (FMG), located in the El Fargue district on the outskirts of Granada. The blast was heard in nearby towns, including Fuente Vaqueros and La Zubia.
The regional emergency service said three workers, aged 40, 51 and 58, suffered minor hearing injuries and were taken to the Hospital Virgen de las Nieves for evaluation. Spain’s Civil Guard, National Police, firefighters, medical teams and bomb-disposal specialists were dispatched to the facility.
The Spanish trade union UGT state that a routine test was apparently being conducted at the factory when something went wrong.
“The site was cordoned off and there were no people nearby,” the union said, according to Spanish news agency EFE.
The factory’s owner, Czechoslovak Group (CSG), said the explosion occurred in its demilitarization area, which is used to dispose of old, damaged or unusable ammunition. The company added that the area was located at a safe distance from production facilities and civilian property, noting that workers had been evacuated and emergency protocols activated.
CSG also said there was no damage to production facilities or nearby civilian property and that the incident was not expected to have a long-term impact on operations.
The Granada facility has been producing ammunition of various calibers and missile components for Ukraine since the start of the Russian special military operation, according to Ukrainian media.
The facility is owned by Slovakia’s MSM Group, part of CSG, which is one of the main industrial participants in the Czech-led ammunition initiative for Ukraine. The program has delivered millions of artillery shells to Ukrainian forces since its launch in early 2024.
The explosion was the latest in a series of incidents at other European ammunition facilities supplying or supporting Ukraine. On August 13, a powerful explosion and fire struck a KNDS Ammo Italy factory in Colleferro near the Italian capital, Rome. The facility produces 155 mm artillery shells supplied to Ukraine through European partners. No injuries were reported.
In Bulgaria, explosions and fires struck ammunition facilities operated by arms manufacturer EMCO on August 10 and September 11-12. The September incident triggered an investigation into possible sabotage, although Bulgarian authorities had not established its cause.
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