Uzbek government/Portal
Firefighters extinguish a fire after an explosion at a warehouse near an airport in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
CNN –
A massive explosion at a warehouse in the Uzbek capital Tashkent early Thursday morning killed at least one person and injured 162 people, according to health authorities.
The situation at the site of the warehouse explosion in Tashkent, Uzbekistan is “under control” as rescue workers continue efforts to fully extinguish a fire caused by the explosion, Uzbekistan’s Emergencies Ministry said in an update.
According to the Ministry of Health, a teenager aged 16 or 17 died at the scene of the accident. The ministry also said 24 of the injured were taken to hospitals.
“From the first minutes, the leadership of the Ministry of Emergency Situations worked at the scene of the incident and the forces and resources of specialized organizations were involved,” said a statement from the Ministry of Emergency Situations, adding that the fire was contained by 5: 2 a.m. local time on Thursday (8 p.m. ET).
Several videos shared on social media on Thursday showed a huge column of fire and smoke rising into the night sky.
The explosion occurred in a warehouse near Tashkent airport, according to Portal, citing local news site Daryo.
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According to Portal, the explosion occurred in a warehouse near Tashkent airport.
Uzbek government/Portal
Rescue workers are on site after an explosion at a warehouse in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Thursday.
Russian state news agency Tass, citing Uzbekistan’s Interior Ministry, reported that a fire broke out in one of the warehouses in Sergeli district after the facility was struck by lightning.
According to Tass, the warehouse belonged to Inter Logistics LLC, the ministry said.
According to Flightradar24, flights appeared to continue to depart and arrive from Tashkent International Airport overnight and into Thursday morning local time.
With almost 3 million inhabitants, Tashkent is the largest city in the Central Asian former Soviet state.