Petrol station explosion kills dozens including three children and injures more than 100 in Russia

At least 27 people were killed and more than 100 injured when a gas station in the Caucasus Republic of Dagestan erupted in a massive explosion, Russia’s emergency ministry said on Tuesday.

The explosion in the regional capital Makhachkala occurred late Monday evening after a fire broke out at the gas station, the Russian Dagestan Commission of Inquiry said.

Several other nearby buildings and cars were also severely damaged by the powerful blast, which flattened the gas station and sparked a relentless inferno.

The blaze raged overnight as emergency workers desperately tried to evacuate the injured, while some 260 firefighters were deployed to douse the flames early Tuesday morning.

“A total of 102 people were injured as a result of the incident, of whom unfortunately 27 died,” the ministry said on Telegram.

In this image from the press service of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, firefighters are putting out a fire at a gas station on a road near Makhachkala

Firefighters are at work at the scene of the accident after an explosion at a gas station in the city of Makhachkala, Russia, in this handout photo published August 15, 2023

The gas station was completely razed to the ground by the blast, while several other buildings and cars were heavily damaged

The regional government has declared August 15 a day of mourning to mark the tragedy, as evacuations of the injured have been completed.

State news agencies TASS and RIA Novosti reported that the fire was extinguished, citing the ministry.

“State flags will be flown at half-mast across the country and cultural institutions and TV channels will be asked to cancel entertainment events and programs,” said Sergei Melikov, head of the Dagestan government.

A criminal case has been opened to establish the circumstances that led to the fire, the commission of inquiry said.

A driver operates a road grader while clearing debris at the accident site during a rescue operation after an explosion at a gas station in Makhachkala in the Dagestan region, Russia, August 15, 2023

This handout photo, taken and released by Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry on Aug. 15, 2023, shows rescuers working at the scene of an explosion at a gas station in the city of Makhachkala

This handout photo, taken and released by Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry on Aug. 14, 2023, shows rescue workers putting out a fire at a gas station in the city of Makhachkala. At least 27 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in an explosion and fire at a gas station in Dagestan, Russia’s Caucasus.

“A total of 102 people were injured as a result of the incident, of whom unfortunately 27 died,” the emergency aid ministry said on Telegram.

A powerful explosion in a service building of a gas station close to an oil depot in the city of Makhachkala, Dagestan

A city of more than 600,000 on the Caspian Sea, Makhachkala is the capital of Dagestan, a Russian republic bordering Chechnya, sharing a border with Georgia and Azerbaijan.

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 gas station.

“After the explosion, everything fell on our heads, we couldn’t see anything,” the anonymous witness said.

A video released by Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry showed a group of firefighters trying to put out high flames near burnt-out vehicles, while rescuers examined the rubble of a building with flashlights.

The fire had spread over an area of ​​about 600 square meters (6,450 square feet), the ministry said, adding that 260 firefighters had been deployed.

A government Il-76 aircraft carrying medical equipment was sent to Makhachkala to evacuate the seriously injured to Moscow, it added.