Ten of some 66 people injured in fire and blast in Dagestan are in critical condition, according to Russian officials.
The fire started at an auto repair shop on the roadside of a highway in the Dagestani capital Makhachkala, which is located on the Caspian Sea, on Monday night and caused blasts spreading to a nearby petrol station, officials said earlier on Tuesday.
“It’s like a war here,” a witness told the Reuters news agency.
The number of people injured rose to some 66, 10 of whom are in critical condition, RIA news agency said quoting Russian Deputy Health Minister Vladimir Fisenko. Thirteen of the wounded are children, Interfax reported citing the Dagestani health ministry.
An aircraft had been dispatched to Makhachkala to evacuate the seriously injured to Moscow, Russia’s emergency situations ministry said on the Telegram messaging app.
The explosion took place at 9:40pm (18:40 GMT) on Monday night, Sergei Melikov, head of the Dagestan administration, said on Telegram.
“The reasons and type of the explosion are being clarified,” he said.
A witness quoted on Telegram by the Russian daily Izvestia said the fire started in an area where cars were parked and spread to the petrol station.
“After the explosion, everything fell on our heads, we couldn’t see anything any more,” the unnamed witness was quoted as saying.
A video posted on Telegram by the RIA news agency showed flames rising from a building, followed by a huge explosion.