Major disaster: At least 30 people were killed and another 100 were injured in a massive explosion that occurred last night (Monday) at a gas station in the city of Makhachkala in southern Russia. Dozens of injured individuals were taken to hospitals throughout the city for treatment, with many of them in critical condition.
According to local authorities, the explosion occurred following a fire that broke out in the parking lot adjacent to the gas station. Estimates suggest that the explosion affected an area of about 600 square meters. 260 firefighting and rescue personnel arrived at the scene and worked for hours to extinguish the flames. Subsequently, it was reported that a helicopter was dispatched to the area to transport the numerous injured individuals to hospitals.
The governor of Dagestan region, Sergey Melikov, stated following the incident that an official criminal investigation has been initiated to determine the circumstances that led to the outbreak of the fire and the subsequent explosion. However, at this stage, the assessment is that it is a technical failure, and there have been no reports of suspicion of intentional sabotage.