Three years have passed since the explosion at a fuel depot near Stepanakert

ArmInfo. Three years ago on this day—during the Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh and the forced displacement of the entire Armenian population—an explosion occurred at a fuel depot near Stepanakert.

Metaxe Hakobyan, a member of the National Assembly of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), recalled on her Facebook page the chaos that reigned in Artsakh on that day. According to her, the explosion at the fuel depot claimed the lives of hundreds of Artsakh residents. "People who tried to save their families during the forced displacement never made it home. And this tragedy is still unsolved. 22 people remain missing. "Twenty-two families continue to wait for answers, to wait for the truth about the fate of their loved ones," the deputy wrote.

At the same time, she urged the question of who was responsible in those days in the Defense Army for the safety of people, for the accumulation of fuel, and for preventing what happened.

"The then commander of the Defense Army is now comfortably settled, holding his position, while the relatives of the dead and missing continue to live with their pain and unanswered questions. And, according to the families, he still hasn't even met with them. Neither position nor time absolves responsibility. The families of the dead have the right to answers. The families of the missing have the right to the truth. And those responsible must be punished. Eternal memory to the dead. Strength to the families of the missing. "This tragedy of Artsakh must not be forgotten," Hakobyan concluded.

As a reminder, on September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan, under the pretext of an "anti-terrorist operation," committed another act of aggression against Artsakh. As a result of the enemy aggression, hundreds of Artsakh residents were wounded, and more than 200 deaths were reported, including civilians. Artsakh fell on September 20.

On September 25, an explosion occurred at a fuel depot near Stepanakert; a gasoline tanker exploded. At the time of the explosion, a large number of people were present, queuing for gasoline to leave Artsakh amid the latest Azerbaijani aggression. According to the Investigative Committee of Armenia, 218 people were killed in the explosion at the fuel depot, 215 of whom have been identified. At least 120 people suffered injuries of varying severity, mostly burns. According to the investigation, the whereabouts of 22 people are unknown. Since the enemy aggression that began in the fall of 2020, which culminated in the complete ethnic cleansing of Artsakh in September 2023, over 150,000 Artsakh residents have become homeless.