The explosion at a crowded fuel depot in Nagorno-Karabakh on Sept. 25 has killed at least 125 people, Armenian Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan said at a news conference on Sept. 26.

The bodies were transported from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia on Sept. 25, according to Avaneysan.

The de-facto Health Ministry of Nagorno-Karabakh said that 290 people who had suffered burn injuries were being treated at four medical institutions, The New York Times reported.

The cause of the explosion has not yet been made clear. The explosion reportedly took place while fuel was being distributed to people who were driving to Armenia, leading to fears of mass casualties.  

Tens of thousands of people from Nagorno-Karabakh have fled to Armenia in recent days, following the Sept. 20 surrender of the territory to the Azerbaijani military after 24 hours of attacks by Azerbaijani forces.

Nagorno-Karabakh is recognized as Azerbaijani territory under international law. Its population of 120,000 is predominantly Armenian.

The territory declared independence in 1991 with Yerevan's military support. Until 2020, Armenia de facto controlled Nagorno-Karabakh together with the surrounding regions.

In 2021 Azerbaijan also invaded several internationally recognized Armenian territories in the east of the country and continues to occupy them.

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The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell