27 dead in Russia petrol pump inferno

Moscow, Aug 15 : At least 27 people, including three children, were killed and 127 others injured following an explosion at a petrol pump in Russians Dagestan region, officials said on Tuesday.

"As of 6 a.

m.on Tuesday, the tragedy in Makhachkala killed 27 people and left 102 injured," the state-run TASS News Agency quoted Sergey Mekilov, head of the Dagestan region, as saying

Efforts continue to clear the rubble and search for potential survivors.

Search-and-rescue dog teams are working at the site.

In addition, the Emergencies Ministry’s Il-76 aircraft has departed from Moscow’s Zhukovsky Airport to airlift the injured to hospitals.

The fire started on Monday night at an auto repair shop on the roadside of a highway in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, and caused blasts spreading to the nearby petrol pump.

ksk