A huge explosion rocks Tashkent airport in Uzbekistan, a former Soviet republic: a fireball several hundred meters high lights up the night sky and destroys nearby houses as residents claim the explosion was heard 32 kilometers away.
- A warehouse at Tashkent airport in Uzbekistan exploded early this morning.
- Local reports describe a fireball several hundred meters high destroying nearby homes.
A powerful explosion rocked Uzbekistan after midnight with reports of a fireball several hundred feet high lighting up the night sky.
A customs warehouse at the airport exploded, according to the Uzbek Daryo news site.
Flights at Tashkent International Airport appeared to take off and land normally, according to data from flight tracking website FlightRadar24.
A notice to fliers issued yesterday at 22:15 GMT said a runway at the airport would be closed for takeoff and landing between 2:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. today, but a segment would be available for taxis. No reason was provided.
A powerful explosion rocked Uzbekistan after midnight with reports of a fireball hundreds of meters high lighting up the night sky.
A customs warehouse at the airport exploded, according to the Uzbek Daryo news site.
Cellphone footage captured the fire in Uzbekistan, believed to have originated from an explosion at an airport warehouse.
The health ministry said a “fire” was reported overnight at the warehouse and an unknown number of injured people were taken to hospital.
“For the moment, there are no serious injuries among them. At present, doctors are providing all necessary medical assistance,” the ministry said on Telegram.
“Emergency medical care is also being provided to those injured in the fire at the accident scene and in surrounding apartments.”
Uzbekistan is the most populous of the former Soviet republics of Central Asia, and fires attributed to outdated equipment and poor compliance with safety standards are common there.
Accidents of this magnitude, however, remain rare.
According to a post by Daryo on social media, the Ministry of Emergency Situations received a call that a fire had occurred due to a strong explosion in one of the warehouses located in the Sergueli district of the city.
Fire and rescue teams and vehicles have arrived at the scene and are currently extinguishing the fire, the post said, adding that details of injuries and deaths resulting from the fire were not available. still known.
