Nagorno-Karabakh: More than 200 people injured after blast at fuel depot

A blast at a fuel store in Nagorno-Karabakh injured more than 200 persons, a separatist leader claimed on Monday, urging immediate medical attention. Taking to X, the region’s rights ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan, said, “As a result of the explosion in the fuel warehouse, the number of injured exceeds 200. The health condition of the majority is severe or extremely severe.”

“The medical capacities of (Nagorno-Karabakh) are not enough,” he added, calling for air ambulances to be allowed to land. It was not immediately clear what caused the blast, which happened as residents were lining up to get fuel for their cars in order to leave the region. “The victims would need to be airlifted out of the region for medical treatment to save their lives,” Stepanyan added. It was not immediately clear if there were any deaths. Dozens of people had been lining up at the fuel facility where the blast occurred because they had been promised fuel – a scarcity during the blockade – for their cars in order to move to Armenia, according to Nagorno-Karabakh’s separatist authorities. With inputs from agencies