South Caucasus: After explosion: Situation in Karabakh becomes increasingly desperate | EUROtoday

In the guts of the Caucasus
After explosion: scenario in Karabakh becomes increasingly desperate

The hardship is actually written on the face of the Armenian physician from Nagorno-Karabakh: “At this moment we have no medical resources left that can help us,” she says in a video that has been extensively shared on social networks.

There is a scarcity of antibiotics and sufferers urgently must be flown out, she says in a rushed voice. Then she runs again to the hospital room. The video is alleged to have been recorded at present – just a few hours after a gas depot exploded not removed from Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital Stepanakert. According to the authorities of the internationally unrecognized republic, not less than 20 individuals died and round 300 others had been injured.

The explanation for final night time’s explosion remains to be unclear. The solely factor that appears sure is that many individuals fell sufferer to it. They wished to flee in automobiles from the Azerbaijani military, which had attacked them final week and defeated them after brief however fierce preventing. According to native stories, tons of of them had been queuing on the fuel station on the time of the accident to get gasoline to flee.

Although Nagorno-Karabakh lies on Azerbaijani territory, it’s predominantly inhabited by ethnic Armenians and has been contested between the 2 feuding ex-Soviet republics for many years. Last Tuesday, authoritarian Azerbaijan launched a army operation to beat Nagorno-Karabakh. Just a day later, the defeated Karabakh Armenians surrendered.

Fear of expulsion

According to Armenian sources, greater than 200 individuals had been killed in the course of the transient preventing and greater than 400 others had been injured. The tens of hundreds of Armenian civilians in the area now concern being displaced or oppressed by the brand new Azerbaijani rulers.

The humanitarian scenario is much more tense as a result of Azerbaijan started blocking the one Armenian entry street to Nagorno-Karabakh months earlier than the assaults. That’s why, amongst different issues, meals is in brief provide and – what is especially deadly in the meanwhile – medicines.

Since Sunday, fleeing civilians have been allowed to depart the nation by way of this so-called Lachin hall, and hundreds of them have set out. Photos confirmed big site visitors jams forming on the winding street; progress was gradual. Cars had been filled with an important belongings, and a few family items had been strapped to the roof of the car. When they arrived on Armenian territory, the individuals had been welcomed by assist organizations. Many appeared fully exhausted, some had been crying.

Red Cross: Hospitals overloaded

The authorities in Armenia’s capital Yerevan just lately spoke of round 28,000 refugees. Meanwhile, protests continued in Yerevan in opposition to the political management, which, in keeping with the demonstrators, didn’t do sufficient for the Karabakh Armenians.

With a view to the victims of the fuel station explosion, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) additionally known as for fast assist. “Hospitals in the region were already overwhelmed by the explosion before the influx of patients,” it stated in an announcement.

“This is an absolute tragedy for hundreds of people who are now suffering from terrible, painful burns,” stated Ariane Bauer, ICRC regional director for Europe and Central Asia. Red Cross groups delivered medical provides and helped evacuate the injured by ambulance, it stated.

Azerbaijan additionally formally supplied its assist. Baku is able to obtain victims of the explosion from Karabakh, stated Azerbaijani presidential adviser Hikmet Hajiyev. It is extraordinarily questionable whether or not, after the harassment of the previous few months, the Armenians now need to place their injured compatriots in the care of the enemy neighboring nation.

dpa