Headline:
Massive Explosions Rock Murmansk; NORSAR Confirms Two Incidents
Subheading:
Witnesses report hearing blasts across the region; video circulating on social media
Article:
two powerful explosions have shaken the city of Murmansk, located approximately 11 miles from the border with Norway. The incident, which occurred on Wednesday, December 18, around 4:42 PM local time, has been confirmed by the Norwegian seismological research organization NORSAR.
The Barents Observer, a Norwegian news outlet focusing on the Arctic region, was the first to report the blasts. They have verifiably located the source of the video to a specific address in Murmansk. Russian-language news outlets City51 and Severpost also shared the same video on Telegram, stating that residents across the entire Murmansk region could feel the explosion but have yet to determine the cause.
NORSAR has corroborated the information with VG, revealing that their infrasound station in Finnmark registered two distinct events: one at 3:42 PM and another at 3:44 PM. While officials are still analyzing the data, a seismologist at NORSAR, Kamran Iranpour, confirmed that the events seem to correspond with the reported location.
According to VG’s sources, neither Ukrainian nor Russian authorities have issued any information regarding the explosions as of now. A video purportedly showing the blasts has been circulating in a Murmansk residents’ group on the Russian social media platform VK. Many commenters have reported feeling the blasts and allege there might have been additional explosions.
VG has been in contact with the Norwegian Armed Forces operational headquarters, which has not yet validated any information about the explosions. Operative leader Einride Gustavsen Hals in the Finnmark police district also had no additional information to share and stated they were closely monitoring the situation.
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