A horrifying fire and explosion that erupted at a petrol station in the southern Russian region of Dagestan has left a devastating toll in its wake. According to Interfax news agency, at least 25 people, including three children, have lost their lives, while dozens more have been injured in the tragic incident.
The calamity commenced at an auto repair shop situated on the side of a highway in the capital city of Makhachkala, Dagestan. The fire quickly escalated, leading to blasts that subsequently extended to a nearby petrol station. The magnitude of the catastrophe prompted a witness to compare the scene to a war zone, providing a glimpse of the chaos and devastation that unfolded.
As reported by the RIA news agency, the number of those injured has surged to around 66 individuals, with 10 of them in critical condition. Among the wounded are 13 children, according to the Dagestani health ministry.
Efforts to address the disaster were swift, with an aircraft dispatched to Makhachkala to evacuate seriously injured individuals to Moscow, as announced by Russia’s emergency situations ministry on the Telegram messaging app.
The explosion, which occurred at approximately 9.40pm (6.40pm GMT) on Monday night, raised urgent questions regarding its cause and nature. Authorities, including Sergei Melikov, the head of the Dagestan administration, are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Eyewitness accounts paint a picture of the harrowing moments that unfolded. A witness quoted in the Russian daily Izvestia revealed that the fire ignited in an area housing parked cars before spreading to the petrol station. The explosion itself was described as blinding and disorienting, with debris obscuring vision and causing chaos.
A video shared by the RIA news agency on Telegram depicted towering flames and a subsequent colossal explosion. The fire spanned an approximate area of 600 square meters (6,450 sq ft), prompting the deployment of 260 firefighters who battled for more than three and a half hours to extinguish the blaze, as reported by TASS state news agency.
This tragedy comes amid another incident involving an oil field in Russia’s oil-rich Khanty-Mansiisk (Yugra) region of West Siberia. RIA reported two fatalities and five injuries resulting from an explosion at the Talinskoye oil field. The fire ignited in a 100-square-meter area, and while the cause of the explosion remains unclear, the impact has undoubtedly cast a shadow over the region.
