A massive explosion at a gas station rocked the city of Volgograd in Russia injuring at least 13 people. The blast occurred around 12.40 pm local time (2:10 pm IST) when the process of fuel transfer was going on at the gas station.
The injured included gas station staff and were rushed to the hospital, according to local media.
"The firefighters were literally scattered by a blast wave," Independent reported Russia's Emergencies Ministry telling on behalf of Vladislav Kopyev, head of the region's 1st fire and rescue unit.
The blast was so powerful that it really blew away parts of the structure at the gas station and shook the nearby areas. The visuals of the explosion that are being widely circulated on social media show a large burst of fireball emanating from the blast.
Enormous fireball shooting into the sky over the city of Volgograd after a fire sparked a huge #Explosion at a gas station in southwest #Russia.
— AEK (@Anas__Khan) August 10, 2020
13 people injured. pic.twitter.com/u8sJYaA20W
All the vehicle plying on the roads leading to the vicinity of the gas station screeched to a halt as the big fireballs burst out.
According to local media reports, several firefighters were called to the gas station after the complaint of an initial spark at the station. The gas station staff were trying to transfer fuel from a tanker to an underground storage tank when a sparked occurred.
All the staff at the gas station had evacuated the location before the process of transferring fuel began and the blast occurred.
So far there's no report of fatality but 13 people have been reportedly injured in the accident.
Recently, on August 4, a blast at Beirut port in Lebanon killed 160 people and injured over 5000 people. Lebanese PM Hassan Diab has announced resignation and dismissal of his entire cabinet after the massive protests over the blast.
