A powerful explosion occurred at a warehouse in the Kuruvchilar (Builders) massif in Sergeli district of Tashkent on the night of September 27-28. A criminal case over fire safety violations was initiated, Gazeta.uz reported.
An investigation team has been set up to investigate the incident, and forensic examinations have been conducted to establish the cause of the fire. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan, investigative actions are being conducted without delay.
The fire started at the warehouse at approximately 2:43 local time. Shortly after the fire, a massive explosion destroyed windows in the apartment buildings nearby. The fire quickly spread and affected an area of about 10,000 square metres.
According to recent information from the Ministry of Health, 163 people were wounded in the explosion. Of them, 24 people were hospitalized. The Ministry of Health confirmed the death of a teenager born in 2006 in one of the apartments.
The owners of the International Logistics Centre, owned by Interlogistics, said no explosive substances were stored in the warehouse. The first warehouse destroyed by fire was used to store margarine, sunflower oil, mayonnaise and ketchup. None of the warehouse employees was injured in the explosion.
