At least 20 killed, hundreds wounded after fuel depot blast in Nagorno-Karabakh

At least 20 people were killed and more than hundreds injured in a blast at a fuel depotin Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region on Monday (September 25). This comes as the separatist authorities are in the midst of preparing to hand over the power of the region to Azerbaijan.

The health department said that nearly 300 people have been admitted to hospitals, with dozens of them "still in critical condition".

The Armenian separatist interior ministry, in a statement, said, “There are dead and wounded as a result of an explosion at a fuel depot near the Stepanakert-Askeran road,” adding that the “rescuers and medics are working at the scene”.

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This comes as thousands of refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh are leaving the region for Armenia. Yerevan said that several days after the fighting, the first refugees arrived in Armenia on Sunday and 6,650 people have so far entered.

The incident comes aspeople fleeing the region, with Armenia saying that 13,350 “forcibly displaced persons” entered the country. In a statement, the government also said it would provide accommodation for all those in need.

US calls Russia ‘unreliable’

On Sunday (Sept 24), the Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan took a swipe at the long-standing ally Russia after previously criticising Moscow – the traditional power broker in the region – for being too distracted by its own war in Ukraine.

Moscow, which has around 2,000 peacekeepers in the region as well as a military base in Armenia, regards itself as the prime security guarantor.

Pashinyan also spoke about how Armenia’s current foreign security alliances were “ineffective” and “insufficient” after the conflict ended with Armenian-backed separatists agreeing to lay down their arms.

“I do think that Russia has shown that it is not a security partner that can be relied on,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters, on Monday.

Washington has previously criticised Azerbaijan’s military operation and expressed “deep concern” for ethnic Armenians.Senior USofficials from President Joe Biden's administration also arrived on Monday (Sept 25) to meetsenior Armenian government officials, reported Reuters.

The visit willaffirm the US partnership and "discuss measures to address the humanitarian crisis there (Nagorno-Karabakh)."

“We do believe there should be an international mission to provide transparency, reassurance and confidence to the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh and the international community that their rights and security will be protected consistent with the public statements that Azerbaijan has made,” said Miller, as quoted by AFP.

Russia accuses Armenia of trying to sever ties

After the Armenian PM’s remarks, Russia said, “The leadership in Yerevan is making a huge mistake by deliberately trying to destroy Armenia’s multifaceted and centuries-old ties with Russia, and by holding the country hostage to the geopolitical games of the West.”

The Pashinyanstatement also contained “unacceptable attacks on Russia,”said Moscow'sforeign ministry.

This comes after Russiarefused to come to Armenia’s assistance in the latest Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and reportedly argued that Yerevan itself recognised the disputed region as part of Baku.

(With inputs from agencies)

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