At least 20 people died and more than 280 were injured in the explosion of a fuel tank in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, inhabited by Armenians but belonging to Azerbaijan, local authorities reported this Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, it was not possible to save the lives of seven patients who died in the hospital. Dozens of patients are still in critical condition. Thirteen unidentified corpses were taken for medical examination,” authorities said in a press release.
The Ministry of Health of Nagorno-Karabakh also stated that “many people are missing”, so it is feared that the death toll could increase in the coming hours.
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 Azerbaijanis) with the city of Askeran.
The ministry said it sent a helicopter with a medical team, medicines and medical supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital, Artsakh, to help treat the injured.
Azerbaijan’s presidency said it sent an ambulance with medical supplies to treat burns, according to Azerbaijan’s state news agency Azertag.
A few hours earlier, an official delegation from Azerbaijan had agreed with Armenian representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh to deliver humanitarian aid, implement health services and establish a joint working committee to restore basic services and rehabilitate infrastructure in the region.
On September 19, Azerbaijan announced the launch of “anti-terrorist operations” in Nagorno-Karabakh, following the death of four Azerbaijani police officers and two civilians following the explosion of mines placed by “Armenian saboteurs,” according to Baku.
The next day, the authorities of the secessionist territory, abandoned by Yerevan, capitulated and a ceasefire was agreed.
At least 200 people were killed and 400 injured, Armenian separatists said, and Nagorno-Karabakh faced a humanitarian emergency, with reports of shortages of electricity, gas, fuel and food.
The Government of Armenia announced this Tuesday that more than 13,000 people displaced by Azerbaijan’s military intervention in Nagorno-Karabakh arrived in the country.
Source: TSF
