Azerbaijan arms depot explosions prompt 5,000 evacuations

Azerbaijani authorities evacuated 5,000 people after a fire triggered explosions at an ammunition depot near Nizami village in the western Goranboy district overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, officials said.

The emergency situations, defence and interior ministries said in a joint statement that emergency and defence personnel, police and local authorities launched an operation and brought the situation under control. People living nearby were evacuated as a safety precaution.

Goranboy deputy chief executive Seymur Nazarov said residents of Nizami and the neighbouring village of Khoylu were moved to nearby areas. He said the total number of evacuees was 5,000.

Nazarov said the fire was still burning and sporadic explosions could still be heard, but efforts were under way to prevent the blaze from spreading and to extinguish it. He said no homes had been damaged and no deaths, injuries or serious losses had been recorded.

Security measures were in force at the entrances and exits of both villages, and evacuees were being accommodated in safe conditions, Nazarov said.