<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">At least 27 people were killed and over 100 injured in an explosion and fire at a petrol station in Russia's Caucasus republic of Dagestan, the emergency situations ministry said Tuesday.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"A total of 102 people were injured as a result of the incident, of whom, unfortunately, 27 died," the ministry said on Telegram.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The explosion in the city of Makhachkala took place at a fuel station after a fire had broken out, the Russian Federation's Investigative Committee for Dagestan said on Telegram.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"A fire occurred during car maintenance work, followed by a bang, as a result of which people were injured and died," the committee said, adding that nearby buildings and cars were damaged.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A criminal case has been opened to establish the circumstances leading up to the fire, it said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The state-run TASS and Ria Novosti news agencies reported that the fire had been extinguished, citing the ministry.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Makhachkala, a city of over 600,000 residents on the Caspian Sea, is the capital of Dagestan, a Russian republic bordering Chechnya, which shares a border with Georgia and Azerbaijan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- Huge explosion -</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The blast was heard shortly before 10:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Monday, Sergei Melikov, head of the Dagestan administration, said on Telegram.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A witness quoted on Telegram by the Russian daily Izvestia said the fire started in an area where cars were parked and spread to the petrol station.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"After the explosion, everything fell on our heads, we couldn't see anything anymore," said the witness, who was unnamed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A video released by Russia's emergency situations ministry showed a group of firefighters trying to extinguish high flames near burnt-out vehicles, as rescue workers examined the rubble of a building with flashlights.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The fire had spread over an area of around 600 square metres (6,450 square feet), the ministry said, adding that 260 firefighters were deployed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A government Il-76 aircraft carrying medical equipment was dispatched to Makhachkala to evacuate the seriously injured to Moscow, it added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The evacuation of people to the medical facilities has been completed," Melikov said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Dagestan government declared August 15 a day of mourning.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"State flags will be flown at half mast throughout the country, and cultural institutions and TV channels will be asked to cancel entertainment events and programmes," Melikov said. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>