Sept 28 (Portal) – A fire caused by a powerful explosion at a warehouse near Tashkent airport has been contained and the situation is under control, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations (FVV) said on Thursday.
The cause of the explosion was unclear, there was a report of “strong lightning” and there were no reports of injuries or deaths. The ministry said a “special laboratory” had been set up at the scene to investigate the explosion.
“The quick action of the FVV employees will reduce the area of the fire,” the ministry said on the messaging app Telegram. “The situation is completely under control.”
Videos and photos on social media showed flames rising into the night sky and a huge cloud of smoke rising.
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 10:15 p.m. GMT on Wednesday said one runway at the airport would be closed to takeoffs and landings between 02:00 GMT and 07:00 GMT on Thursday, but a section would be closed would be available for rolling. It didn’t give a reason.
According to a social media post by Uzbek media outlet Daryo, 16 fire and rescue personnel were dispatched to fight the fire at one of the warehouses in the city’s Sergeli district, near the airport.
Reporting by Akanksha Khushi in Bengaluru; Writing by Michael Perry; Edited by Tom Hogue, Jamie Freed and Lincoln Feast.
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