Blast kills 20 as refugees flee Karabakh

An explosion at a fuel depot in Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh has killed 20 people and injured hundreds more, local Armenian authorities say.

Nearly 300 people were admitted to hospitals, with dozens of them "still in critical condition," BBC reports.

It comes as the Armenian government said 13,350 refugees crossed into the country from the enclave.

The disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region is home to a majority of some 1,20,000 ethnic Armenians.

It is not yet clear what caused the explosion on Monday evening in the main city of Stepanakert.

Human Rights Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan wrote on social media: "As a result of the explosion in the fuel warehouse, the number of injured exceeds 200.

"The health condition of the majority is severe or extremely severe. The medical capacities of Nagorno-Karabakh are not enough."

In a statement on Tuesday local officials said 13 unidentified bodies were found at the scene and seven more died in hospital.

Since Azerbaijan's seizure of Nagorno-Karabakh last week, thousands of people have left the area after the Armenian government in Yerevan announced plans to move those made homeless by the fighting.

/KN/