Six people were killed and more than 20 injured when an explosion, of unknown cause, occurred at a warehouse in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

The attorney general and the Ministry of Emergency Management, in a joint statement, said that a preliminary investigation into “violation of fire safety rules” has already been launched.

The fire that followed the explosion killed six people, the attorney general’s office confirmed. A little earlier, the authorities announced that 24 people were injured.

Photos and footage posted on social media showed a partially collapsed building, its roof caved in, thick smoke billowing from it. Members of the rescue teams are working feverishly among the ruins.

Last week four newborns died when a fire broke out at a maternity clinic in Baku. From the first elements of the investigation into this tragedy, the fire is attributed to a short circuit.

In April 2022, one person was killed and 37 injured in an explosion in a nightclub in the capital of Azerbaijan, due to a leak of liquefied gas.

Such incidents are common in former Soviet republics, on the one hand due to the age of the facilities and on the other hand because safety regulations are not followed.