Huge explosion rocks Tashkent airport in the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan: A fireball hundreds of meters high lit up the night sky and destroyed nearby homes, while locals claimed the blast was heard 20 miles away
- A warehouse at Tashkent Airport in Uzbekistan exploded early this morning
- Local reports describe a fireball several hundred meters high that destroyed nearby homes
A massive explosion rocked Uzbekistan after midnight and a fireball several meters high reportedly lit up the night sky.
According to the Uzbek news site Daryo, a customs warehouse at the airport exploded.
Flights at Tashkent International Airport appeared to take off and land normally, data from flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed.
A notice to fliers issued at 10.15pm GMT yesterday said one runway at the airport would be closed to take-offs and landings between 2am and 7pm today, but a section would be available for taxis. It didn’t give a reason.
A massive explosion rocked Uzbekistan after midnight and a fireball several meters high reportedly lit up the night sky
According to the Uzbek news site Daryo, a customs warehouse at the airport exploded
The Health Ministry said a “fire” was reported in the warehouse overnight and an unspecified number of injured people were taken to hospital.
“At the moment there are no seriously injured among them.” “At the moment, doctors are providing all necessary medical assistance,” the ministry said on Telegram.
“Emergency medical care is also provided for the burn victims at the scene of the accident and in the surrounding apartments.”
Uzbekistan is the most populous of Central Asia’s former Soviet republics, and fires caused by outdated equipment and lack of adherence to safety standards are common there.
However, accidents of this magnitude are still rare
According to a post by Daryo on social media, the Ministry of Emergency Situations received a call that there was a fire due to a strong explosion in one of the warehouses in the Sergeli district.
Fire and rescue personnel and vehicles arrived at the scene and are currently extinguishing the fire, the post said. Details of injuries and deaths as a result of the fire are not yet known.