12 dead, over 60 injured in fire at Russian gas station

Unverified videos on social media showed a large fire and a number of injured people in a local hospital.

A fire at a gas station in the southern Russian region of Dagestan killed 12 people including two children, Russian officials said early on Tuesday.

A view shows firefighting vehicles at the accident scene following an explosion at a gas station in the city of Makhachkala, Russia, August 14, 2023. (via REUTERS)

The fire started at an auto repair shop on the roadside of a highway in Dagestani capital Makhachkala on Monday night and caused blasts spreading to a nearby gas station, officials said.

Footage posted online showed a one-storey building ablaze, Reuters TV reported.

"It's like a war here," a witness said.

The number of injuries rose to over 60 people, Dagestani Governor Sergei Melikov said in a video statement early on Tuesday. Thirteen of the wounded are children, Interfax said citing the Dagestani health ministry.

It took fire fighters more than three and a half hours to put out the fire that spread into an area of 600 square meters (715 square yards), TASS reported, citing a statement from the Russian emergency service.