The explosion and subsequent fire occurred in a warehouse near the airport.
In warehouses in the Sergeli district of Tashkent, an explosion occurred due to a lightning strike and a fire started. The warehouses belong to the Inter Logistics company, reports the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Uzbekistan. Tashkent International Airport belongs to the Sergeli district.
“Fake news is being spread on some social networks that the incident in the Sergeli region “occurred as a result of a plane crash.” This is absolutely untrue,” the department emphasized.
The explosion occurred around 02:50 local time. 16 fire brigades were involved in extinguishing the fire. To date, the main part of the fire has been extinguished, the fire area has been reduced, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reports.
“The message about the explosion and subsequent fire was received by the emergency department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations today, September 28. The explosion occurred in one of the warehouses located on the territory of the Stroitel district of the Sergeli district of the city of Tashkent,” the publication of the Ministry of Emergency Situations says.
The Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan reported that there were casualties as a result of the explosion; they were hospitalized at the Republican Scientific Center for Emergency Medical Care and its branch in the Tashkent region. At the moment, doctors are providing all necessary medical care.
The exact number of victims is not specified.
According to local residents, windows in buildings were broken by the shock wave and doors were damaged. The wave was felt by residents of Nurafshan, a city south of Tashkent about 30 km from the epicenter of the explosion. Firefighters and security forces arrived at the scene, and convoys of ambulances are also arriving there, Nova24 reports.
According to Mash, electric vehicle batteries exploded in the warehouse and the warehouse was destroyed by the shock wave.
Uzbekistan Airports reported that the explosion did not affect the operation of the capital’s airport.
“The international airport operates without restrictions as usual,” the statement says.
Source: Asia Plus TJ
