A fire and explosion at a petrol station in the southern Russian region of Dagestan has killed at least 25 people, including three children, and injured dozens, the Interfax news agency reported citing regional emergency medics.
The fire started at an auto repair shop on the roadside of a highway in the Dagestani capital Makhachkala, which is located on the Caspian Sea, on Monday night and caused blasts spreading to a nearby petrol station, officials said earlier on Tuesday.
“It’s like a war here,” a witness told the Reuters news agency.
The number of people injured rose to some 66, 10 of whom are in critical condition, RIA news agency said quoting Russian Deputy Health Minister Vladimir Fisenko. Thirteen of the wounded are children, Interfax reported citing the Dagestani health ministry.
An aircraft had been dispatched to Makhachkala to evacuate the seriously injured to Moscow, Russia’s emergency situations ministry said on the Telegram messaging app.
The explosion took place at 9:40pm (18:40 GMT) on Monday night, Sergei Melikov, head of the Dagestan administration, said on Telegram.
Link from www.aljazeera.com