At least 20 people have been killed and hundreds wounded in a fuel depot explosion in Nagorno-Karabakh amid an exodus of ethnic Armenians from the region following a lightning military offensive by Azerbaijan.
The region’s health department said 13 bodies were found and seven people had died of their wounds after the blast outside the regional capital of Stepanakert – called Khankendi by Azerbaijan – late on Monday.
It also said 290 people had been hospitalized and “dozens of patients remain in critical condition”. The warehouse was used to give out fuel to those who wanted to leave the region in their cars. Hundreds of people were gathered there when the explosion took place.
A team of medics are en route from Yerevan to Stepanakert by helicopter to help the victims, carrying necessary medication and medical supplies, the healthcare ministry said. Last week’s offensive came after a months-long blockade of the region by Azerbaijan that caused shortages of essential supplies.
“As a result of the explosion, Azerbaijan prepared nearby local hospitals and started negotiations on the evacuation of the wounded, but representatives of the Armenian residents of Karabakh did not accept this proposal,” said Al Jazeera’s correspondent Osama bin Javaid, reporting from the Azerbaijani city of Horadiz.
The announcement of the death toll came amid people fleeing the region, with Armenia saying that 13,350 “forcibly displaced persons” entered the country. In a statement, the government also said it would provide accommodation for all those in need.
On the diplomatic front, national security advisers from Azerbaijan, Armenia, France, Germany and the European Union special representative for the region are scheduled to meet in Brussels on Tuesday.
Simon Mordue, chief diplomatic adviser to European Council President Charles Michel, will chair the talks, the latter’s spokesperson told Al Jazeera.
“This is to take stock of the current situation and prepare for a possible meeting of leaders in Granada,” said Ecaterina Casinege, referring to the Spanish city.
Armenians waiting in their cars at the border crossing station at the Lachin checkpoint [Emmanuel Dunad/AFP]
Azerbaijan’s military attacked Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19, announcing 24 hours later to have won control over the enclave. The offensive forced ethnic Armenian authorities in the region to agree to lay down weapons and start “reintegration” talks, under a ceasefire agreement brokered by traditional regional powerhouse Russia.
Azerbaijani authorities promised to respect the rights and security of Armenians living in the region. But the news of their reintegration into Azerbaijan was met with panic and chaos among ethnic Armenians who feared that the long history of hatred and violence between the two would make any form of co-habitation impossible.
On the road heading to Armenia, more and more residents from the region appeared to be trying to get out.
“It’s a steady stream of people, we have seen in the distance miles and miles of ques of people lining up to leave,” said bin Javaid.
“The people are living with whatever they can put their hands, in whatever vehicle they can find, but they want to go out despite all assurances that have been given by the Azerbaijani authorities,” he added.
At a refugee center in Goris, Valentina Asryan, a 54-year-old from the village of Vank who fled with her grandchildren, told AFP news agency her brother-in-law was killed and several other people were injured by Azerbaijani fire.
A long dispute
Nagorno-Karabakh has been contested for more than three decades, with Baku and Yerevan vying for its control.
The territory is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but is heavily populated by ethnic Armenians.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh declared their independence with the goal of reuniting with Armenia. That triggered a bloody war in the 1990s that ended with Armenians taking control of the enclave and several districts around it. Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced due to the conflict.
A second war erupted in 2020 with Azerbaijan retaking territory in and around the enclave.
After 44 days of fighting, Russia brokered a ceasefire and placed nearly 2,000 peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh.
