A Russian air base near coastal resorts in the seized Crimean peninsula was shaken by a series of explosions that Moscow said were detonations of stockpiled munitions.

Local witnesses reported hearing at least 12 explosions at about 3:20 p.m. local time (1220 GMT) from the Saky air base near Novofedorivka on the peninsula’s west coast, which Russia took from Ukraine in 2014 and used as a launchpad for its invasion of Ukraine in February this year.

Crimea, a popular tourist destination for Russians, has so far avoided the severe bombing and artillery fire that has afflicted other parts of eastern and southern Ukraine since Russian soldiers entered the country.

Russia’s defence ministry insisted that an explosion was caused by the “detonation of multiple aviation ammunition stockpiles,” and originally claimed that no one had been injured. It said that no assault had occurred and that no aircraft equipment had been harmed.

According to Crimea’s health ministry, one civilian was killed. Another person was brought to the hospital with significant injuries, while five people were treated for minor wounds, according to the report.

Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian governor of Crimea, said a five-kilometre (three-mile) exclusion zone had been formed around the air station.

The base is near the coastal resorts of Novofedorivka and Saky, although they do not appear to have been damaged, according to the Russian travel operators’ organisation.