At least 35 people have died in an explosion at a petrol station in southern Russia, according to local officials.
Russia's Health Ministry said 115 people were injured in the blast and subsequent fire, and 35 of them died, including three children.
A total of 65 of those injured, including 16 children, remained in hospital as of Tuesday afternoon the ministry said. Eleven people, including two children, were in a grave condition. Russian state media said some of those injured would be airlifted to Moscow for treatment.
The explosion occurred on Monday night on the outskirts of the city of Makhachkala, the regional capital of Dagestan and more than 950 miles south of Moscow.
A fire started at a car repair shop and spread to a nearby petrol station, triggering the blast and a fireball that engulfed an area covering around 600 square metres.
The fire started at the repair shop and spread to a car as well, an unnamed witness told Russian newspaper Izvestia. “From there, everything went to our gas station. After the explosion, everything fell on our heads, we couldn’t see anything.”
This handout photograph taken and released by Russian Emergency Ministry on 14 August 2023, shows rescuers pushing out a fire at a gas station in the city of Makhachkala— (RUSSIAN EMERGENCY MINISTRY/AFP v)
Russian emergencies ministry members remove debris at the accident scene following an explosion at a gas station in Makhachkala in the region of Dagestan, Russia, 15 August 2023,— (via REUTERS)
Pictures from the site showed an inferno, as firefighters struggled to contain the damage. The authorities have begun a criminal investigation. Tuesday has been declared a day of mourning in Dagestan.
Nearly 260 emergency workers were deployed to help evacuate buildings in the area.
Authorities announced that the next-of-kin of the victims will receive 1m roubles (£8,190) and that those injured will receive between 200,000 to 400,000 roubles.
In a separate incident also on Monday night, an explosion at an oil mine in western Siberia killed two people. Local authorities said the blast occurred in the Khanty-Mansiysk region and that another five people were wounded.
