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Hundreds of people have been killed following the explosion of a fuel depot in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone in the South Caucasus. The office of the internationally unrecognized republic’s human rights commissioner spoke Monday evening of at least 200 injuries and an unknown number of deaths not far from the regional capital Stepanakert. It was initially unclear what caused the catastrophe in the Armenian-majority region, which was attacked and defeated by Azerbaijan last week.
Large flames could be seen in photos on social networks. Politician Metakse Akopjan said that at the time of the accident, many people in the camp were queuing for gasoline because they wanted to flee the Azerbaijanis in cars to Armenia.
Azerbaijani military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh
The region’s human rights office appealed to the international community: there is an urgent need to fly out people, especially seriously injured people, for treatment. “Nagorno-Karabakh’s medical capacity is not sufficient to save human lives,” said the message on platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
The humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, long disputed between the two hostile ex-Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan, is already catastrophic. Azerbaijanis have been blocking the only Armenian access road for months, making food, medicine and gasoline scarce in the region.
Last Tuesday, authoritarian Azerbaijan launched a military operation to conquer Nagorno-Karabakh. Just a day later, the defeated Karabakh Armenians surrendered. According to Armenian sources, more than 200 people were killed and more than 400 others were injured during the brief fighting. The tens of thousands of Armenian citizens in the region now fear being displaced or oppressed by the new Azerbaijani rulers. (SDA)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
