GAS STATION FIRE IN RUSSIA’S MUSLIM MAJORITY DAGESTAN KILLS 35, INCLUDING 3 CHILDREN

Tue 15 August 2023:

A deadly fire tore through a gas station in the southern Russian region of Dagestan, claiming the lives of 35, including three children, while dozens of others were sustained injuries, media reports said Tuesday. The flames initially ignited at an auto repair shop situated along a highway in the capital city of Dagestan, Makhachkala, on the night of Monday.

TASS reported that 80 people were wounded, citing a department of the Russian ministry of health, in an apparent revision of the injury toll that Melikov earlier put at 102.

The emergency ministry said it sent a special aircraft to evacuate casualties from the blast to hospitals in Moscow.

The ferocity of the fire triggered explosions that extended to a nearby gas station, according to official accounts. Footage shared online captured the intensity of the situation. It showed a one-storey building engulfed in flames.

An individual present at the scene likened the incident to a battlefield, describing the chaos and destruction that ensued as a result of the blaze. “It’s like a war here,” the witness reportedly said.

Gas station explosion kills 35, injures dozens in Russia’s Dagestan region#Dagestan #Russia #UkraineRussianWar pic.twitter.com/4MsUma5lwk

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) August 15, 2023

Injuries

Dozens of individuals have been injured. Out of the injured, at least 10 are reported to be in critical condition, as noted by the RIA news agency, citing Russian deputy health minister Vladimir Fisenko.

“Unfortunately, among the wounded, 13 are children,” the Dagestani health ministry reportedly said. These grim numbers speak of the widespread impact of the disaster on innocent lives.

Firefighting efforts

Firefighters fought against the blaze for over three and a half hours, struggling to contain its rapid spread over an area encompassing 600 square metres (715 square yards), as per a statement by the Russian emergency service, reported TASS.

Amid the chaos, an unnamed witness recalled the immediate aftermath of the explosion. “After the explosion, everything fell on our heads, we couldn’t see anything anymore,” said the unnamed witness, reported AFP news agency.

A video shared on Telegram by the Ria Novosti news agency showed the initial flames erupting from the building, followed by a massive explosion.

Russia’s Investigative Committee launched a criminal investigation into the deadly blaze, state media agency RIA Novosti reported Monday.

A statement from the Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin “expressed condolences to the families and friends of those killed in the explosion at a gas station in Makhachkala, and wished a speedy recovery to the victims.”

Dagestan’s head of government Abdulmuslim Abdulmuslimov visited the site of the disaster in in Makhachkala on Tuesday.

The Dagestan government declared Tuesday a day of mourning, TASS reported.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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