MOSCOW, Aug 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured Monday in an explosion and fire at a filling station in Russia’s Caucasus republic of Dagestan, the emergency situations ministry said.
“More than 60 people were injured in the fire in Makhachkala, and 12 of them died,” the ministry wrote on Telegram.
Makhachkala, located on the Caspian Sea, is the capital of Dagestan.
An aircraft had been dispatched to Makhachkala to evacuate the seriously injured to Moscow, it added.
The explosion took place in the building of a car service station, where a fire had broken out during maintenance work, investigators said.
The blast was heard shortly before 10:00 pm, Sergei Melikov, head of the Dagestan administration, said on Telegram.
“The reasons and type of the explosion are being clarified,” he said.
The state-run TASS news agency reported that Russia’s emergency ministry said the fire had been extinguished.
A witness quoted on Telegram by the Russian daily Izvestia said the fire started in an area where cars were parked and spread to the petrol station.
“After the explosion, everything fell on our heads, we couldn’t see anything anymore,” said the unnamed witness.
A video posted on Telegram by the Ria Novosti news agency showed flames rising from a building, followed by a huge explosion.
The fire spread over an area of around 600 square metres, the ministry said, adding that 260 firefighters were deployed. — NNN-AGENCIES
