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© ITAR-TASS/Igor Kubedinov
An employee of Russia's Academy of Sciences was killed on Monday when a canister filled with a nonflammable gas known as Freon exploded, the TASS news agency reported, citing an unidentified law enforcement official.

"The incident occurred in one of the rooms in the academy building, located on Leninsky Prospekt. A tank with Freon exploded. As a result, one person died," the source said. The Moscow police press service confirmed the incident, TASS reported.

An unidentified adviser to the president of the Russian Academy of Sciences also told TASS about the explosion, claiming an employee servicing refrigeration equipment — which uses Freon gas — "made a technical error" while conducting maintenance.