Fireball shreds petrol station - 13 people die
Makhachkala (Russia) - Devastating: 13 people were killed in a petrol station explosion in the Russian republic of Dagestan, 23 people were injured, some of them seriously.
First there was smoke and fumes. Then a gigantic fireball tore the petrol station to pieces.
The explosion on Friday evening on the outskirts of the regional capital of Makhachkala caused devastating damage. According to the Russian Ministry of Civil Protection, 13 people lost their lives, including two children. 23 people were injured, some of them seriously.
The petrol station was virtually torn apart by the blast wave and the cafeteria was completely destroyed. A neighboring three-story building was also severely damaged.
Videos taken by drivers and passers-by show the disaster in detail. A fire can be seen blazing at the back of the petrol station, thick smoke billowing out of the building. Then there is an explosion. The roof is literally lifted into the air.
Several people were buried under the rubble and could only be rescued dead. The operation is still ongoing.
Pictures: Devastating explosion at gas station
Explosion in Dagestan - Investigation into the cause continues
Meanwhile, eyewitnesses report dramatic scenes in the minutes after the accident.
A trucker who stopped to help was hit by a car and seriously injured. A young mother and her two children were burned beyond recognition and could only be identified by their shoes, reports the newspaper KP. "We are helping doctors to remove the wounded. There are many of them. More than they write," a first responder told the paper in the evening.
The reasons for the latest accident are now to be clarified. According to the investigating authorities, the petrol station operator is said to have massively disregarded safety requirements in the past. The man has since been taken into custody.
Last August, a similar disaster occurred at a petrol station in Dagestan following a car fire. 35 people lost their lives.