At least 35 dead in a huge fire at a gas station in Russia’s Dagestan

At least 35 people were killed and dozens injured Monday night by an explosion and fire at a gas station in dagestana region russian in it Caucasusaccording to the latest balance released Tuesday by the authorities.

The causes of the incident are still unknown, but accidents and fires of this type are common in Russia. Many times they occur because safety regulations are not respected or the facilities are outdated.

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The explosion took place on Monday night on the outskirts of makhachkalacapital of dagestanand caused a deep crater and a gigantic fire, according to images from Russian television.

He Ministry of Emergency Situations reported 35 deaths in its last balance, and the Ministry of Health reported 80 wounded.

Previous data indicated 33 deaths.

“Everything around us was on fire (…), nothing could be seen”, explained a witness to the Russian network Ren-TV, while several doctors treated a head injury.

The Russian President, Vladimir Putinpresented his condolences to the families of the victims and “wished a speedy recovery to the injured”, according to a Kremlin statement. His Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenkoally of MoscowHe also expressed his condolences.

Makhachkala, with about 600,000 inhabitants, is the capital of Dagestan, a republic in the south of the Russian Federation bordering on Chechnya which shares a border with Georgia and Azerbaijan.

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grieving dagestan

Buildings near the station were damaged, reported the local Investigation Committee, which opened a criminal investigation to establish the causes of the fire.

The head of the Dagestan administration, Sergey Melikovexplained that the explosion took place shortly before 10:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m. GMT).

“The reasons and type of explosion are becoming clear”, he added, praising the “heroics” of the rescuers who, according to him, prevented the number of victims from being greater.

According to a witness quoted by the Russian newspaper Izvestia, the fire started in an area where there were parked vehicles and spread to the gas station.

“After the explosion, everything fell on top of our heads, we couldn’t see anything”, explained this witness, whose name is not mentioned in the media.

Hours later, the fire, which spread over an area of ​​600 square meters and for which 260 firefighters deployed, was extinguished, according to the emergencies ministry.

In a video released by the ministry, a group of firefighters tries to put out raging flames near the wreckage of vehicles, and emergency crews examine rubble in a building.

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A Il-76 plane with medical equipment he was sent to Makhachkala to evacuate the seriously injured to Moscow, the ministry added.

The authorities decreed a day of mourning in Dagestan on Tuesday.

“At the end of the investigation carried out by law enforcement, everything possible will be done to ensure that justice prevails and that the safety of all the inhabitants of Dagestan is guaranteed.”, noted the head of the local administration, Sergei Melikov.

Source: Elcomercio

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