'STRANGE ROAR' PRECEDES 'MYSTERIOUS BLAST' IN SASOVO

This document is a report from the Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) detailing a mysterious explosion that occurred in the town of Sasovo, in the Ryazan Region of the USSR, on April 12, 1991. According to a TASS report filed by correspondent Anatoliy Kakovkin, the event took place at approximately 01:30. The explosion was preceded by a 'strange roar' and was powerful enough to shake buildings and shatter windows throughout the town. Despite the intensity of the blast, there were no reports of serious injuries. A crater measuring 3.5 meters in depth and 28 meters in diameter was discovered in a field 1.5 kilometers from the town. A Regional Commission on Emergencies was dispatched to the site to conduct an investigation, which included taking atmospheric and soil samples. The commission reported no abnormal radiation levels or chemical changes in the air. The military explicitly stated that there were no unidentified flying objects (UFOs) detected over the area at the time of the incident. Sasovo Mayor A. Rozhkov provided a potential explanation for the blast in a telephone interview, suggesting that the presence of paper bag scraps near the site might indicate that saltpeter, which can self-explode under specific conditions, had been stored in the field and subsequently detonated. An emergency task force was assigned to finalize the investigation into the cause of the blast.