Emergency services and investigators are still working to determine the cause of the incident. According to Zhytomyr regional governor Vitaliy Bunechko, at least two people died in the explosion, with 15 more sustaining injuries.
Police said the blast occurred around 7:00 p.m. near the village of Berezna. Early information suggested the blast occurred at a gas station, although subsequent reports said the gas station was damaged in the blast and not necessarily its origin. Serhiy Sokalskyi, head of the nearby Hlybochytska community, told journalists the incident might have taken place at an industrial warehouse in Berezna.
At 7:59 p.m., Zhytomyr regional patrol police in the announced that traffic on the Kyiv–Chop highway has been closed in both directions at the 126-kilometer mark because of the incident.