A controlled blast took place on April 15 in the Oqbuyra tourism village of Samarkand district, which caused stone fragments to rain down on residential homes, cracked walls, and left young children and the elderly in a state of panic. The Ministry of Mining Industry and Geology issued an official statement regarding the incident.
According to the Ministry, the "Mironqul-III" quarry was allocated to Agro Technology Group LLC under Cabinet of Ministers Resolution dated July 1, 2019.
Blasting operations at the quarry were conducted under a subcontract between Agro Technology Group LLC and Hisor Tog LLC. The Ministry emphasized that the organization directly responsible for executing the blast holds a specialized permit issued by the state inspection agency.
Official documentation, drawing on the State Ecological Expertise assessment, designates the minimum safe distance to the nearest residential area as 300 meters. According to the investigation findings provided by the Ministry, the actual distance to the settlement was measured at 450 to 500 meters, meaning the operation was deemed compliant with safety regulations.
At the same time, however, it was noted that some of the homes damaged by the blast were located just 357 meters away. While official calculations indicate that the area falls within the safe zone, the practical reality shows that the affected properties are dangerously close to the mandatory 300-meter threshold.
According to the Ministry, the April 15, 2026 blast hurled rock debris as far as 357 meters away, an outcome officially classified as a "deviation from technical protocols." The statement added that due to specific geological conditions and an uneven distribution of blast energy, certain stone fragments veered completely off course.
The response further explained that although this was intended to be a controlled, directed blast, unique geological variations and energy distribution patterns caused flying debris to escape the designated safety trajectory. The Ministry concluded that this incident directly underscores the urgent need to refine blasting technologies and completely overhaul existing safety protocols at the site.
According to reports, the operating enterprise has fully covered the material damages caused by the incident.
Moving forward, directives have been issued to halve the volume of standard blasts from 10 tons down to 5 tons, minimize the overall amount of explosives used, and implement alternative, safer methods for fracturing rock mass.
Furthermore, a series of comprehensive safety measures are being established. These include deploying a siren system to warn local residents prior to operations, and securing an official assessment from the Institute of Seismology to determine whether the structural cracks in residential walls are directly linked to the blasting activities.
The Ministry emphasized that monitoring and oversight at the site remain ongoing. Should recurring violations be detected, strict enforcement actions will be taken, up to and including the permanent suspension of the company's subsoil extraction license.
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