Fire at military base in Crimea, more than 2,000 people evacuated

“There is a plan to temporarily evacuate residents of four settlements - the number is more than 2,000 people,” Governor Aksyonov said, adding that there were no casualties in the incident.

Smoke and flames rise from an explosion during a fire at a military training area in the Kirovske district of Crimea on July 19, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Russian and Ukrainian security agencies and media reported that an ammunition depot caught fire at the base after an overnight Ukrainian airstrike.

Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesman for the Odesa military administration in Ukraine, posted two videos of the fire in an uninhabited area. Staryi Krym is a small historic town in the Kirovske district of Crimea. Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

Videos and images on social media showed large flames and thick smoke in the area, following a series of explosions. Some Telegram channels said the fire had been raging for about three hours and was still not under control by 7:30 a.m. local time.

The fire comes two days after an explosion damaged a bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean Peninsula on Monday, which Russia blamed on Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin vowed to take retaliatory action.

Russia launched another airstrike on the Ukrainian port of Odessa on Tuesday night. It also announced it was withdrawing from the Black Sea grain deal after the Crimea bridge was attacked.

Huy Hoang (according to TASS, Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/chay-can-cu-quan-su-o-crimea-hon-2000-nguoi-so-tan-post256926.html