Blast in Nagorno-Karabakh injures more than 200 as thousands flee to Armenia, local official says

YEREVAN, Armenia - A powerful blast rocked the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh region Monday evening as ethnic Armenians streamed out of the breakaway territory after the Azerbaijani military reclaimed full control of it in a lighting offensive last week.

The explosion at fuel storage facility near the regional capital of Stepanakert wounded more than 200 people, Nagorno-Karabakh human rights ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan said on X, formerly known as Twitter. It was not immediately clear what caused the blast, which happened as residents were lining up to get fuel for their cars in order to leave the region.

The majority of the victims were in ''severe or extremely severe'' condition, Stepanyan said, adding that the victims would need to be airlifted out of the region for medical treatment to save their lives. It was not immediately clear if there were any deaths.

https://www.startribune.com/blast-in-nagorno-karabakh-injures-more-than-200-as-thousands-flee-to-armenia-local-official-says/600307264/