The Dagestan fuel station explosion in the Caucasus republic left over 100 people injured and about 30 people dead, according to the emergency situations ministry of Russia on Tuesday, August 15.continue reading
According to Russia's Investigative Committee for Dagestan, the disaster in the regional capital of Makhachkala began late Monday night after a fire broke out at the petrol station.
According to local media, the fire started at a nearby auto repair business and quickly spread to the petrol stations.
The explosion entirely demolished the petrol station and caused damage to several neighbouring houses and automobiles.
Around 260 firefighters were sent in to put out the flames early on Tuesday morning as the fire raged throughout the previous night as rescue personnel desperately tried to evacuate the injured.
Images taken this morning from the area demonstrated how the petrol station had been reduced to ruins.
In Russia, a petrol station explosion results in more than 100 injuries and dozens of fatalities, including three children.
According to the Russian Interfax news agency, three children were among the 30 people killed in the explosion and subsequent fire.
The emergency ministry initially announced on Telegram this morning that "a total of 102 people were injured as a result of the incident, of whom, sadly, 27 died," before raising the death toll to 30 and the number of injured to 105.
The Russian daily Izvestia cited a witness on Telegram as saying that the fire began in a parking lot and quickly spread to the gas station.
The unnamed witness claimed, "After the explosion, everything fell on our heads, and we could no longer see anything."
Another witness said that "this is like a war."
It was stated that a government Il-76 carrying medical supplies was sent to Makhachkala to transport the badly injured to Moscow.