Number of casualties rises to 170 in explosion at Nagorno-Karabakh fuel depot

A massive explosion at a fuel depot in Nagorno-Karabakh has resulted in the death of at least 170 people, a significant increase from the initial estimate of 68 deaths. Authorities will send remains found at the scene to Armenia in order to identify the victims through DNA analysis. The blast occurred as ethnic Armenians were desperately trying to leave the territory after it surrendered to Azerbaijan. Rescue teams are still conducting search operations in the area, although the cause of the explosion remains unknown. Hospitals in the region are struggling to treat the 290 injured individuals due to severe shortages of medical supplies resulting from a blockade since December 2022. Some of the injured have been evacuated by Armenian helicopters. Following a ceasefire agreement with Azerbaijan, there has been a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, with an estimated 88,780 out of 120,000 having fled so far. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has expressed concerns that the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh may leave. Western governments are urging Azerbaijan to allow international observers into Karabakh to monitor the treatment of the local population. While Azerbaijan has agreed to let a group of UN experts enter the territory in the coming days, allegations of ethnic cleansing leveled by Armenia have been dismissed by the Azerbaijani government. Nagorno-Karabakh's separatist leader has announced that the breakaway republic and its institutions will cease to exist from next year. Local forces in Karabakh have agreed to disarm and disband following intense fighting triggered by an Azerbaijani military offensive. Former commander of ethnic-Armenian troops, Levon Mnatsakanyan, was detained at a border checkpoint by Azerbaijan's military, while former head of the separatist government, Ruben Vardanyan, was arrested while attempting to leave for Armenia. Despite being internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, Armenians gained control over Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990s after the Soviet Union's collapse.