Russian authorities said that a huge explosion at a petrol station in the province of Dagestan in southern Russia left 35 people dead and several others injured.
According to the Russian Health Ministry, the blast and accompanying fire injured 115 individuals, 35 of whom died, including three children.
As of Tuesday at noon, 65 of those hurt, including 16 kids, were still being treated in hospitals, according to the ministry. Two children and eleven other people were in critical condition.
The blast happened on Monday night near Makhachkala, the region’s capital. The explosion was caused by a fire that broke out at a nearby gas station after starting at an auto repair business.
According to Dagestan’s authorities, the injured would receive between 200,000 and 400,000 rubles (about $2,000–$4,000), while the families of the deceased would receive 1 million rubles (about $10,000) each.
Some of the injured, according to Russian official media, would be transported to Moscow for medical attention. Makhachkala is about 990 miles (1,600 km) south of Moscow.
A criminal investigation has been launched by the authorities. In Dagestan, Tuesday has been designated as a day of mourning. A blast in western Siberia on Monday night also left two individuals dead and five more injured.
A Khanty-Mansiysk oil mine was the site of the explosion.
Since a fire at a defense research facility in Tver, a city 160 kilometers (100 miles) north of Moscow, in April 2022, which killed 22 people and injured another dozen, the explosion in Dagestan has been the worst in Russia.
One person was killed and 84 others were hurt earlier this month when an explosion occurred at a business producing optical equipment for the Russian security forces north of Moscow.
A fire and subsequent explosion at a gas station in the southern Russian region of Dagestan killed at least 30 people including three children, Russia's emergencies ministry said https://t.co/TVpqqCjLsI pic.twitter.com/h8xD4wadV7
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 15, 2023
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