Three people were killed Monday after a gas cylinder exploded at a gunpowder factory in the Russian city of Perm in the Ural mountains, local authorities said.

One worker was killed on the spot and another two were taken to a hospital where they died from injuries, the Perm Territorial Division of the Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement.

It said the investigating authorities had initiated a criminal case on the grounds of violation of safety rules at an explosives manufacturing enterprise resulting in the death of two or more persons by negligence.

The gas cylinder exploded at around midday Moscow Time (0900 GMT) on the territory of the Perm Gunpowder Factory, the local division of the Russian Emergencies Ministry said in a separate statement.

It said the building of the factory was not damaged, the explosion caused no fire and the accident did not affect the production process.