Powerful explosion occurred at the warehouse of the Inter Logistics company today at 2:43 AM on Kuruvchilar (Builders) area in the Sergeli district of Tashkent city near the airport, the Customs Committee, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and other departments reported.
The explosion was followed by a strong fire, which still (at the time of publication of the news) has not been completely extinguished. The explosion was heard for many kilometers, smoke and glow from the fire were visible from other areas.
The blast wave broke the windows of dozens of apartments in multi-storey buildings, and there were many ambulances in the courtyards of the area. Many residents had to sleep in their cars. Many vehicles were damaged.
There are a large number of law enforcement officers and special services on site, and government vehicles are visible. No one commented on the spot.
“The warehouse belongs to a business entity, and officials of the Customs Committee are also on site,” the Customs committee said.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, 16 fire and rescue crews and 3 ladder trucks were sent to the scene. They arrived at 2:48 and began extinguishing the fire and cleaning up the damage.
At 5:02 a.m., the fire was localized, the Ministry of Emergency Situations later reported. The department denied reports about the plane crash; this version was voiced on social networks.
Uzbekistan Airports reported that the explosion did not affect the operation of the capital's airport. “Tashkent International Airport operates as normal,” the message says.
The Ministry of Health reported that those injured as a result of the explosion and fire were taken to the Republican Scientific Center for Emergency Medical Care (RSCEM) and its branch in the Tashkent region.
“Among them there are no particularly serious injuries. Doctors are providing the victims with all necessary medical care,” the statement says.
Ambulance personnel are also helping the injured at the scene.
The number of victims and ambulances involved was not specified. Whether there are any fatalities is currently unknown.
