TASHKENT: A powerful explosion occurred overnight at a warehouse in Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, and caused a fire, reported Sputnik, quoting the Uzbek Ministry of Emergencies on Thursday.
“Today, September 28, at 02:43 a.m. (local time, 21:43 GMT on Wednesday), the Ministry of Emergencies’ unit on duty received a report of an explosion and subsequent fire that occurred in one of the warehouses located in the territory of the ‘Stroitel’ complex in the Sergeli district of the city of Tashkent,“ the ministry said on Telegram.
The ministry said there were no casualties in the incident, adding that 16 fire engines were battling the fire.
The ministry also denied reports, appearing on social media, that a plane crash allegedly caused the explosion.
“Fake news is spreading on some social media that the incident in Sergeli district was the result of a plane crash. This information does not correspond to reality,“ the ministry said in another post.
However, the Uzbek Health Ministry said there were casualties in the incident, adding that those injured were taken to hospitals.
“Those injured as a result of the fire were taken to the Republican research Centre of Emergency Medicine and its branch in the Tashkent region,“ the ministry said on Telegram.
The ministry added that those admitted to the centre had no serious injuries and were being provided with necessary medical care. -AFP