A powerful explosion ripped through a weapons factory in Italy owned by the Franco-German defense group KNDS—a major arms supplier to Ukraine—Thursday near Colleferro, 45 km southeast of Rome.

Mayor Giulio Calamita stated that the community of roughly 50,000 people, which has longstanding ties with the facility, narrowly avoided tragedy because many employees were away for summer holidays. Twenty-four workers were inside the building at the time of the blast and all were confirmed safe. Footage circulating online showed flames rising behind a group of buildings before a violent explosion sent burning debris skyward.

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

A preliminary investigation found no indications of foul play, according to law enforcement sources. Colleferro’s site has a history of deadly incidents 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 13 others. The deadliest incident occurred in 1938, when 60 people died 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 by secondary explosions.