Dozens dead, 105 missing after blast at Karabakh fuel depot - ombudsman

Medics of the Russian peacekeeping troops treat people injured in an explosion at a fuel depot outside Stepanakert, in an unknown location in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region inhabited by ethnic Armenians, in this still image from video published September 26, 2023. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS

MOSCOW (Reuters) -The death toll from an explosion and fire at a fuel depot in Nagorno-Karabakh has risen to 68, with a further 105 people missing and nearly 300 injured, the office of Karabakh's ombudsman said on Tuesday.

The blast occurred as thousands of ethnic Armenians fled the breakaway enclave after their fighters were defeated by Azerbaijan in a lightning military operation.