Russian Scientist's Death Sparks Plague Scare at Siberian Lab

A Russian scientist's death has triggered a plague scare centered on a secretive Siberian lab located next to a popular fried chicken shop. The 28-year-old microbiologist reportedly contracted pneumonia after allegedly breaking a tube containing live plague bacteria, prompting a major emergency response. Health officials have placed nearly 200 contacts under medical surveillance and locked down hospital wards, while denying the cause was plague. The Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, a high-security facility founded in 1934, handles lethal pathogens like Yersinia pestis, the bacterium behind the Black Death. The lab sits in a mundane neighborhood, with locals unaware of the potential biosecurity threat. Pneumonic plague, the airborne variant feared, can kill within 72 hours, and authorities are racing to contain any possible escape.