Explosion at Nagorno-Karabakh fuel depot raises death toll to 125
The Armenian health ministry has confirmed that the bodies of the victims have been transported to Armenia.
-
Screen capture from video shows smoke rising after a fuel depot explosion near Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, on September 25, 2023. (Twitter via AP)
An explosion and fire at a fuel depot in Nagorno-Karabakh have led to a tragic death toll of 125, a significant increase from the initial report of 20 fatalities by Karabakh authorities, sources reported on Tuesday.
This incident occurred as many ethnic Armenians were fleeing the region following their defeat by Azerbaijan in a swift military operation.
⚡🇦🇲🇦🇿 The strong explosion that took place in the fuel tank in the area adjacent to the #Stepanakert - #Askeran highway, has killed and injured dozens, the State Service of Emergency Situations of #NagornoKarabakh reported.#Armenia #Azerbaijan pic.twitter.com/OdWAZDSsPO
— X News Monitor (@xNewsMonitor) September 25, 2023
The Armenian health ministry has confirmed that the bodies of the victims have been transported to Armenia.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has reported numerous burn victims and is providing medical assistance and evacuations due to congested hospitals and traffic.
🇷🇺#Russian peacekeepers evacuate #NagornoKarabakh civilians injured in a fuel explosion near the Stepanakert-Askeran highway#Russia #Armenia #Azerbaijan #Stepanakert pic.twitter.com/r48MkJpH0U
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) September 26, 2023
As of 1600 GMT on Tuesday, over 28,120 out of 120,000 ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh had already crossed into Armenia.
Read more: Aliyev says Baku fully restored 'sovereignty', thousands flee region
Azerbaijan initiated a military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19, with the announced goal of "restoring constitutional order." Baku further claimed that Azerbaijani forces only attacked Armenian military facilities in the region.
The attack followed just days after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan officially acknowledged that his country recognizes the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region as part of Azerbaijan's sovereign territory.
Azerbaijan held last week a first round of "reintegration" talks with the Armenian Karabakh combatants after they agreed to lay down their weapons against the backdrop of the day-long military offensive.
The combatants said they were in Russian-mediated talks with Baku to organize the withdrawal process and the return of civilians displaced by the fighting.
