A recent explosion at a storage facility near Tashkent airport in Uzbekistan resulted in one fatality and over a hundred injuries, as reported by local authorities on Thursday.
The health department of Uzbekistan announced on Telegram that a teenager born in 2006 had tragically lost their life in the incident, while an additional 162 individuals suffered injuries.
Attributing the cause to intense lightning, the country’s emergency services reported an explosion followed by a fire at the warehouse located within the airport’s vicinity. The fire continues to rage, they confirmed.
Of the total injured, the health department detailed that 138 people had minor injuries, whereas 24 remain in hospitals with severe conditions.
Footage shared on various social platforms depicted intense flames and smoke billowing into the dark sky. The explosion’s impact shattered the windows of several neighbouring homes and caused significant internal damage.
Following the initial explosion, subsequent blasts were heard as emergency responders and medical teams worked tirelessly at the scene, as observed by an AFP reporter.
A resident, 72-year-old Moustafo Kutepov, recounted waking up, initially mistaking the blast for an earthquake. “I saw the flames, and my son sustained a leg injury,” he told AFP.
Despite the incident, the nation’s primary airport continues its regular operations, as per UzA, the Uzbek national news outlet.
Located in Central Asia, Uzbekistan is a former Soviet republic and is the most populous in the region. The country often witnesses fires due to obsolete equipment and non-adherence to safety protocols.
