Petrol station explosion kills dozens including three children and injures more than 100 in Russia

At least 27 people were killed and over 100 injured when a petrol station in the Caucasus republic of Dagestan erupted in a huge explosion, Russia’s emergency situations ministry said Tuesday.

The explosion in the regional capital of Makhachkala was triggered late Monday evening after a fire broke out at the fuel station, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee for Dagestan. 

Several other buildings and cars nearby were also severely damaged by the powerful blast, which levelled the petrol station and whipped up a brutal inferno.

The blazed raged overnight as emergency workers desperately tried to evacuate the injured, as some 260 firefighters were deployed to extinguish the flames early Tuesday morning. 

‘A total of 102 people were injured as a result of the incident, of whom, unfortunately, 27 died,’ the ministry said on Telegram.

A powerful explosion at a service building of a gas station close to an oil depot in the city of Makhachkala, Dagestan

In this image provided by Russian Emergency Situations Ministry press service, firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a petrol station on a road near Makhachkala

Firefighters work at the accident scene following an explosion at a gas station in the city of Makhachkala, Russia, in this handout picture published August 15, 2023

The petrol station was completely levelled in the blast, with several other buildings and cars badly damaged

The regional government has declared August 15 a day of mourning to mark the tragedy, now that evacuations of the injured have been completed.

The state-run TASS and RIA Novosti news agencies reported that the fire had been extinguished, citing the ministry. 

‘State flags will be flown at half mast throughout the country, and cultural institutions and TV channels will be asked to cancel entertainment events and programmes,’ said Sergei Melikov, head of the Dagestan administration. 

A criminal case has been opened to establish the circumstances leading up to the fire, the investigative committee said.

A driver operates a road grader while removing debris at the accident scene during a rescue operation following an explosion at a gas station in Makhachkala in the region of Dagestan, Russia, August 15, 2023

This handout photograph taken and released by Russian Emergency Ministry on August 15, 2023, shows rescuers working at the site of a blast at a gas station in the city of Makhachkala

This handout photograph taken and released by Russian Emergency Ministry on August 14, 2023, shows rescuers pushing out a fire at a gas station in the city of Makhachkala. At least 27 people were killed and over 100 injured in an explosion and fire at a petrol station in Russia’s Caucasus republic of Dagestan

‘A total of 102 people were injured as a result of the incident, of whom, unfortunately, 27 died,’ the emergencies ministry said on Telegram

A powerful explosion at a service building of a gas station close to an oil depot in the city of Makhachkala, Dagestan

Makhachkala, a city of over 600,000 residents on the Caspian Sea, is the capital of Dagestan, a Russian republic bordering Chechnya, which shares a border with Georgia and Azerbaijan.

A witness quoted on Telegram by the Russian daily Izvestia said the fire started in an area where cars were parked and spread to the petrol station.

‘After the explosion, everything fell on our heads, we couldn’t see anything anymore,’ said the witness, who was unnamed.

A video released by Russia’s emergency situations ministry showed a group of firefighters trying to extinguish high flames near burnt-out vehicles, as rescue workers examined the rubble of a building with flashlights.

The fire had spread over an area of around 600 square metres (6,450 square feet), the ministry said, adding that 260 firefighters were deployed.

A government Il-76 aircraft carrying medical equipment was dispatched to Makhachkala to evacuate the seriously injured to Moscow, it added.

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