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An explosion at a warehouse in the Uzbek capital Tashkent has killed at least one person and injured more than 160 people. Authorities in the Central Asian country said on Thursday that “163 victims” had been counted after the overnight incident near Tashkent airport.
According to the information, 138 slightly injured people have already been released from hospital. The condition of the 24 injured people who are still in hospital is “satisfactory”. However, the Uzbek Ministry of Health announced via Telegram messaging service that a young person had died from his injuries.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Emergency Situations told the AFP news agency that the explosion was caused by a lightning strike. As a result, a fire broke out. In videos shared on online networks, a huge fireball could be seen in the night sky. The force of the explosion shattered the windows of houses in the area and in some cases also destroyed the interiors, an AFP reporter reported.
Surrounding houses damaged
According to the Ministry of Health, the explosion took place in the warehouse of a company in the customs area of the airport. Hours later, more explosions were felt. The official Uzbek news agency Uza reported that airport operations were still running “normally.” Apparently surrounding houses have been damaged. Resident Nurgali Nurgembetov, whose home is only about 50 meters from the site of the explosion, demanded “relocation to a safe place.”
Local resident Mustafo Kutepov (72) also told AFP that his house was damaged by the explosion. He called on the authorities to quickly compensate him as winter approaches. “I don’t have the resources to fix it myself,” said Pensioner. According to his own statements, he initially thought the explosion that night was an earthquake until he saw the fire. His son was injured in the leg by the explosion.
Uzbekistan is the most populous ex-Soviet republic in Central Asia. As in other ex-Soviet republics, fires often occur there due to outdated infrastructure and violations of safety rules. (AFP)
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.
