An unknown number of people died and more than 200 were injured this Monday in the explosion of a fuel tank 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 transferred many injured people to the nearest hospitals.
When the explosion occurred, near the fuel tank there were a large number of vehicles with inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh who were trying to leave the enclave, after last week’s military defeat against the Azerbaijani army.
The depot is located near the highway that connects the regional capital, Stepanakert (Jankendi, for Azeris) with the city of Askeran.
According to the Armenian government, some 6,650 people displaced by Azerbaijan’s recent military operation in the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave have arrived in Armenia since the evacuation began on Sunday.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian assured that Yerevan is willing to welcome all Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh who want to leave that territory.
US President Joe Biden offered humanitarian aid to Pashinian on Monday in a telegram given to him by Samantha Power, director of the United States Agency for Development (USAID).
Source: TSF
