Siberian lab worker dies of plague after test tube accident

A 28-year-old researcher has died in Siberia from a suspected pneumonic plague infection, reportedly caused by a lab accident at the Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute. Russian authorities are investigating the incident and monitoring contacts. The woman, identified as Daria Sh., broke a test tube containing live bacteria while collecting samples, then died of severe pneumonia two days after hospitalization. Approximately 200 people at her hospital are under observation, and a quarantine was imposed at a maternity hospital. Russian officials urge calm, noting all contact tests are negative, while a criminal investigation into safety violations has opened. The White House is monitoring the situation, and public events in Irkutsk have been cancelled.