The Russian Emergencies Ministry announced that at least 12 people were killed and dozens injured, on Monday evening, in an explosion followed by a fire at a gas station in Dagestan, a Russian republic in the Caucasus.
More than 60 people were injured in the Makhachkala fire, 12 of whom died»the ministry wrote on Telegram.
Makhachkala, located on the Caspian Sea, is the capital of Dagestan.
The fire covers about 600 square metres, the ministry said, adding that 260 firefighters are working.
He added that an Il-76 medical plane was sent to Makhachkala by the Russian authorities to evacuate the seriously injured to Moscow.
Sergei Melikhov, head of the administration of the Republic of Dagestan, said the disaster occurred at 9:40 pm (6:40 pm GMT) on a federal road.
“The causes and type of the explosion are being clarified,” he said on Telegram.
According to a witness reported by the Russian newspaper ‘Izvestia’, the fire broke out in an area where cars stopped and spread to the gas station. “After the explosion, everything fell on our heads, and we could not see anything,” said the witness, who was not named.
A video posted by RIA Novosti on Telegram shows flames rising from a building, and then a massive explosion.
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