"In a terse statement issued Thursday night on the social media site Telegram, the Russian space corporation that operates Soyuz appeared to downplay the incident: "The launch pad was inspected, as is done every time a rocket is launched. Damage to several launch pad components was identified. Damage can occur after launch, so such inspections are mandatory worldwide. The launch pad's condition is currently being assessed.""
"However video imagery of the launch site after liftoff showed substantial damage, with a large service platform appearing to have fallen into the flame trench below the launch table. According to one source, this is a platform located beneath the rocket, where workers can access the vehicle before liftoff. It has a mass of about 20 metric tons and was apparently not secured prior to launch, and the thrust of the vehicle ejected it into the flame trench. "There is significant damage to the pad," said this source."
A Soyuz rocket launched carrying Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev and NASA astronaut Christopher Williams for an eight-month mission to the International Space Station. The crew arrived at the orbiting laboratory without incident. Ground systems at Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 31 sustained serious damage during the launch. Roscosmos posted on Telegram that the pad was inspected, several components were identified as damaged, and the pad's condition is being assessed. Video after liftoff showed a large service platform apparently falling into the flame trench; the platform is about 20 metric tons and was reportedly not secured prior to launch. Site 31 is currently the only pad configured for Soyuz and Progress launches.
Read at Ars Technica
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