An explosion occurred today (26th) at a gas station in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, where armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan broke out last week, killing at least 20 people, local separatist authorities said.
Authorities said the accident occurred at a gas station on the outskirts of Stepanakert amid a convoy of thousands of people and refugee vehicles heading to Armenia.
In addition to the fatalities, 290 people were hospitalized in the accident, and dozens of others were in critical condition, Armenian authorities said.
Meanwhile, the Armenian government announced on this day that about 10,000 residents of the Nagorno-Karabakh region have entered Armenia.
The Armenian government announced this morning that approximately 13,500 people, equivalent to 12% of the region’s population, crossed the border and headed to Armenia.
Meanwhile, Samantha Power, director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), urged Azerbaijan to “maintain the ceasefire and take concrete steps to protect the rights of civilians in Nagorno-Karabakh.”
Nagorno-Karabakh is recognized as Azerbaijani territory, but parts of it have been run by Armenian separatist forces, and a ceasefire was reached a day after armed clashes broke out between the two sides on the 19th.
VOA News
*This article references AP and Reuters.
#NagornoKarabakh #gas #station #explosion #kills
2023-09-26 15:30:00
