At least 33 killed, tens others injured in Russian gas station blast
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August 15, 2023, is declared a day of mourning in the Republic of Dagestan.
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Vehicles of the fire service of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (Sputnik)
At least 33 people were killed in an explosion and fire at a petrol station in Russia's Caucasus republic of Dagestan, the Health Ministry said Tuesday, updating a previous toll.
"The explosion at a gas station in the city of Makhachkala injured 80 people. Thirty three people died, including 3 children," the Health Ministry announced in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.
The previous death toll from a blast at a gas station in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, was put at 27, the Russian North Caucasus Republic's Disaster Medicine Center told Sputnik.
"As of now, 27 are dead," the Center said then.
This comes after an auto repair shop caught fire on the evening of August 14, causing an explosion once the fire reached a gas station in the suburbs of Makhachkala.
The Disaster Medicine Center of the Russian North Caucasus Republic of Dagestan informed Sputnik earlier that the death toll from a gas station explosion in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, has grown to 27.
"As of now, 27 are dead," the center said.
According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, the fire was eventually restricted to a 600 square meter (6,460 square feet) area. Earlier, the head of the Russian North Caucasus Republic, Sergey Melikov, said 27 individuals perished in the tragedy and 102 others required medical attention.
The explosion injured 56 people, including 13 children, according to Dagestan's Health Ministry.
Viktor Fisenko, the first deputy minister of health of Russia, arrived in Dagestan and later reported that 66 injured persons were being treated at Makhachkala hospitals, 10 of which are in critical condition.
There are now 75 people who have been hurt, Russia's Emergency Ministry said.
"A total of 102 people were injured, 27 of them died," it said.
Following the fatal explosion, Dagestan announced a day of mourning, according to a decree signed by Melikov and seen by Sputnik.
"Declare August 15, 2023 as a day of mourning in the Republic of Dagestan. On the day of mourning throughout the Republic of Dagestan, fly the state flags of the Russian Federation, the state flags of the Republic of Dagestan, the flags of the municipalities of the Republic of Dagestan at half-staff," the document says.
