Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh: 20 dead and 300 injured in fuel depot explosion amid Armenian refugee exodus

At least 20 people have died and almost 300 suffered injuries in an explosion at a gas station in Nagorno-Karabakh, as ethnic Armenians attempted to flee the contested region.

The cause of the blast outside the regional capital of Stepanakert remains unclear, but separatist authorities said 13 bodies have been retrieved from the blast site and seven others succumbed to their injuries.

Nearly 290 people have been hospitalised, while scores of them remain in critical condition, the breakaway region’s health department said.

The blast occurred as residents were lining up to fuel their cars following the Azerbaijan military’s attack on separatist forces, which has driven ethnic Armenians out of the region.

“A strong explosion occurred in the gasoline warehouse near the Stepanakert-Askera highway,” the authorities said in a statement, according to the New York Times. “At the moment, rescue and medical operative groups are working on the spot.”

Yerevan on Tuesday said more than 13,500 people from the conflict zone have fled to Armenia this week so far.