An explosion at a fuel depot in Nagorno-Karabakh has resulted in the loss of 20 lives and left hundreds injured, according to local ethnic-Armenian authorities.
Nearly 300 individuals were admitted to hospitals, with dozens of them in critical condition.
This incident occurred as the Armenian government reported that around 19,000 refugees had entered Armenia from the enclave after local forces surrendered to Azerbaijan.
Nagorno-Karabakh, with its population of around 120,000 ethnic Armenians, remains a disputed region.
The cause of the explosion near the main city of Khankendi, also known as Stepanakert, remains unclear.
The region had already been grappling with a fuel shortage due to a months-long blockade, and petrol stations have been overwhelmed as people attempt to leave.
The only road connecting Armenia to the enclave is congested with hundreds of vehicles filled with ethnic Armenians seeking refuge in the town of Goris across the border.
The journey from Goris to Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, is marked by heavy traffic as families attempt to carry as many belongings as possible.
Inside Goris, the narrow streets are crowded with cars and families, many of whom have arrived in vehicles damaged by mortar fire during the recent conflict.
Despite assurances from Azerbaijan, there are concerns about the safety of Nagorno-Karabakh’s residents under Azerbaijani rule.
Aid delivery to the region has been limited, with only one shipment of 70 tonnes of food allowed through since separatists accepted a ceasefire and agreed to disarm.
Ethnic-Armenian leaders have reported that thousands are without food or shelter, forced to sleep in basements, school buildings, or outdoors.
The fuel depot explosion has strained the region’s hospitals, with doctors working in challenging conditions to treat 290 patients with various degrees of burns.
The medical capacities of Nagorno-Karabakh are inadequate for the severity of injuries, and Armenia’s health ministry is sending helicopters to evacuate patients.
Azerbaijan has also dispatched medical supplies to assist.
Armenia’s Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, has stated that ethnic cleansing is taking place in the region, a claim disputed by Azerbaijan, which aims to reintegrate ethnic Armenians as equal citizens.
Diplomatic talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with the support of the European Union, have taken place in Brussels, marking the first diplomatic discussions between the two nations since Azerbaijan’s seizure of the enclave.
Additionally, Azerbaijan has initiated separate negotiations with Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic-Armenian authorities regarding the region’s future.
Nagorno-Karabakh, while internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, has been under the control of ethnic Armenians for three decades, backed by Armenia and Russia.
The recent conflict resulted in casualties on both sides, including Russian peacekeepers, as Azerbaijan regained control of the region.
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