At least 20 killed in gas station explosion in Nagorno-Karabakh

Rescuers work following the explosion at the gas warehouse in Nagorno-Karabakh. Pic/Twitter

At least 20 people were killed and nearly 300 others injured by an explosion at a crowded gas station in Nagorno-Karabakh as thousands of people rushed to flee the cross into Armenia, separatist authorities in the region said on Tuesday.

More than 13,500 people - about 12 per cent of the region's population - have fled across the border since Azerbaijan's swift military operation to fully reclaim the breakaway region after three decades of separatist rule, Armenia's government said on Tuesday morning.

Refugees wait in vehicles near the border town of Kornidzor, Armenia. Pic/AP

The explosion took place as people lined up to fill their cars at a gas station outside the regional capital of Stepanakert late Monday. The separatist government's health department said that 13 bodies have been found and seven people have died of injuries from the blast, the cause of which remains unclear. It added that 290 people have been hospitalised and scores of them remain in serious condition.

Gasoline is in short supply in Nagorno-Karabakh for months. The explosion further adds to local residents' anxiety about whether they will be able to drive out. The Armenian border is about 35 km from Stepanakert.

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