On Monday evening, a powerful explosion reverberated through the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh region.

This occurred as ethnic Armenians were evacuating the breakaway territory following a rapid Azerbaijani military campaign that resulted in their regaining full control last week.

The blast emanated from a fuel storage facility near the regional capital of Stepanakert and caused injuries to over 200 individuals, according to Nagorno-Karabakh’s human rights ombudsman, Gegham Stepanyan, who reported this on a social media platform.

The exact cause of the explosion remained unclear, but it transpired as residents were queuing up to obtain fuel for their vehicles as part of their departure preparations, the Associated Press reported.

A significant portion of the injured individuals was in “severe or extremely severe” condition, as noted by Stepanyan.

He further remarked that the victims would require airlifting from the region for critical medical treatment to save their lives.

As of the latest information available, it was not immediately evident whether there were any fatalities.

Last week, the Azerbaijani military executed a swift 24-hour offensive, defeating Armenian forces and compelling the separatist authorities to agree to disarm and initiate discussions regarding the “reintegration” of Nagorno-Karabakh into Azerbaijan.

This marked the end of three decades of separatist rule.

Written by staff