Fire at Russian gas station kills 25, injures 66

Reuters

12:00 JST, August 15, 2023

A fire at a gas station in the southern Russian region of Dagestan killed 25 people including three children, Interfax news agency reported early on Tuesday citing regional emergency medics.

The fire started at an auto repair shop on the roadside of a highway in Dagestani capital Makhachkala on Monday night and caused blasts spreading to a nearby gas station, officials said.

Footage posted online showed a one-story building ablaze, Reuters TV reported.

“It’s like a war here,” a witness said.

The number of people injured rose to 66, 10 of whom are in a critical condition, RIA news agency said quoting the Russian deputy health minister Vladimir Fisenko.

Thirteen of the wounded are children, Interfax reported citing the Dagestani health ministry.

It took fire fighters more than three and a half hours to put out the fire that spread into an area of 600 square meters (715 square yards), TASS reported, citing a statement from the Russian emergency service.