Shocking photos have exposed the devastation caused by a massive explosion on Thursday that leveled warehouses in the Uzbek capital Tashkent.
The devastating blast, which killed a teenager and injured more than 160 people, occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning. was felt by people more than twenty miles away, such was the force of the shock wave.
Aerial photographs of the scene released today showed half the warehouse completely destroyed, with charred and twisted wreckage scattered across hundreds of square meters of scorched earth.
Uzbekistan’s Emergency Situations Ministry did not say what was inside to cause the explosion, while Russian state media Tass later reported that the warehouse contained several dozen electric vehicles and batteries.
Some local reports claimed the explosion was caused by a lightning strike that ignited the batteries, but others dismissed the theory, saying instead that explosives were likely being held in the warehouse – although this was not confirmed by authorities.
Terrifying footage shared on the Telegram messaging app showed the fireball erupting from the warehouse hundreds of meters high, lighting up the night sky.
These images from Maxar Technologies show an aerial view of the warehouse before and after the explosion
A photo provided by the government of Uzbekistan shows Uzbek firefighters extinguishing flames at the site of a warehouse explosion in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, September 28, 2023
Uzbekistan’s Emergency Situations Ministry did not say what was inside it that caused the explosion
A powerful explosion rocked Uzbekistan after midnight, with reports of a fireball hundreds of meters high lighting up the night sky
According to the Uzbek news website Daryo, a customs warehouse at the airport exploded
Firefighters are extinguishing a fire at a warehouse site in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Flames and smoke rise as firefighters extinguish a fire at a warehouse site in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Dozens of ambulances took the injured to hospitals as dawn broke Thursday morning, while 16 separate firefighting teams were deployed to extinguish the massive blaze that covered more than 32,000 square meters.
About 162 people were treated for injuries, the Health Ministry said.
At least five children were injured by broken glass.
Footage from the scene in the morning showed several local residents inspecting their shattered windows and damaged homes, with smoke still visible as firefighters battled to bring the blaze under control.
A social media post from Uzbek outlet Daryo said 16 fire and rescue crews had been sent to battle the blaze in one of the warehouses in the Sergeli district, near the airport.
The Uzbek Interior Ministry initially said that “lightning struck a warehouse where electric cars and batteries were stored, causing a massive explosion and fire in Tashkent.”
There were later doubts as to whether lightning had been a factor in the explosion.
Batteries for electric cars exploded in the airport warehouse, destroying the building in the shockwave, Russia’s Mash media outlet claimed.
After the massive explosion, soot and flaming debris rain down on Tashkent
The remains of the warehouse can be seen burning after the massive explosion that rocked the city
Mobile phone footage captures the fire in Uzbekistan, which was reportedly the result of an explosion at an airport warehouse
Smoke could still be seen rising into the sky this morning after the thunderous explosion overnight
A man shows damage to his home after the explosion rocked the ex-Soviet state in the early hours
The blast wave was felt by residents of Nurafshan, a city south of Tashkent, about 30 kilometers from the explosion epicenter. In the photo: fire brigade on site
The ministry later said it was working to determine full details of the cause of the explosion
The blast wave was felt by residents of Nurafshan, a city south of Tashkent, about 30 kilometers from the explosion epicenter.
“Fake news spread on some social media that the incident in Sergeli district was the result of a plane crash. This is an absolute lie,” the Uzbek Emergency Situations Ministry said.
The ministry later said it was working to determine full details of the cause of the explosion.
Uzbekistan is the most populous of the Central Asian former Soviet republics, and fires blamed on dilapidated equipment and poor adherence to safety standards are common there.
However, accidents of this magnitude are still rare.