An unspecified number of people were killed today in the explosion of a fuel depot in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, inhabited by Armenians but belonging to Azerbaijan.
According to the local Ministry of the Interior, there are deaths and injuries, but the number is still unknown, while some media report more than 200 victims.
Emergency services are carrying out search and rescue operations and have already transported many injured people to the nearest hospitals.
When the explosion occurred, near the fuel depot were a large number of vehicles carrying Nagorno-Karabakh residents planning to leave the enclave following last week’s military defeat by the Azerbaijani army.
The borg is close to the road that connects the regional capital Stepanakert (Jankendi, for Azeris) with the city of Askeran.
According to the Armenian government, around 6,650 people displaced by Azerbaijan’s recent military operation have arrived in Armenia’s Nagorno-Karabakh enclave since the evacuation began on Sunday.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian assured that Yerevan is ready to welcome all Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh who want to leave that area.
US President Joe Biden today offered humanitarian assistance to Pashinian, in a cable received from Samantha Power, director of the United States Agency for Development (USAID).
Source: DN
