An explosion and fire at a gas station in Dagestan, a region of southern Russia, have claimed at least 33 lives.
On Monday at 21:40 local time (18:40 GMT), the explosion broke out in Makhachkala, the regional capital on the Caspian Sea coast.
Images showed numerous fire engines at the scene as well as a large fire that was lighting up the night sky.
The fire reportedly started at a car service close to the gas station and injured dozens more people, according to local media.
Following the deadly explosion, Russian President Vladimir Putin extended his sincere condolences.
According to regional administrator Sergei Melikov, a state of emergency was declared in the Kumtorkalinsky district of Dagestan.
The emergencies ministry reported that 260 emergency personnel have been sent to the scene, and the most seriously injured have been flown to Moscow.
Doctors were quoted by the media as saying three children were among the dead.
It continued that there was a risk of additional explosions and that the fire had grown to a size of 600 sq m (6,460 sq ft).
The fire started on a parking lot next to the gas station, according to an unnamed witness.
“After the explosion, everything fell on our heads. We couldn’t see anything any more,” the witness said.
The fire started during some auto maintenance work, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee, and was “followed by a bang”.
According to the Committee, a criminal investigation has been launched to determine the events leading up to the incident.
The southernmost region of the Russian Federation is the Republic of Dagestan, one of the 83 constituent parts. Moscow is about 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) away from Makhachkala.
Source-BBC
