Weekend - Another attack on a Russian oil refinery

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- An explosion and fire hit a Russian oil refinery on Saturday, the latest in a series of incidents at the facility, officials said.

The blast occurred at the Volgograd refinery in the southern part of the country, according to Russian news agencies.

"The fire was localized and extinguished," a spokesman for the Emergency Situations Ministry told the RIA Novosti news agency.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear, but authorities said they were investigating the incident.

The Volgograd refinery, which is operated by the state-owned oil company Rosneft, has been the target of several attacks in recent years.

In December, a fire broke out at the facility, and in 2018, a blast caused a fire that took several hours to extinguish.

The refinery is one of the largest in Russia and plays a key role in the country's oil industry.

In recent years, Russia has experienced a number of industrial accidents at its oil and gas facilities, raising concerns about safety and security in the industry.

The latest incident comes as the country faces international scrutiny over its handling of environmental issues and industrial safety.