MOSCOW (Reuters) – A fire sparked by a Ukrainian drone attack on a huge diesel depot in Russia’s southern Rostov region on Sunday has engulfed more fuel storage tanks, news agencies reported on Tuesday citing local authorities.
Ukraine often says it is retaliating against Russia’s attacks on its energy infrastructure, while Moscow calls drone attacks on its oil infrastructure acts of terrorism.
Around 20 of 74 storage tanks at the depot in the Proletarsk district of the region are on fire, the RIA news agency reported citing local administration boss Valery Gornich.
More than 500 firefighters are tackling the fire, he told the TASS news agency.
Governor Vasily Golubev said on the Telegram messaging app on Monday that 41 firefighters had sought medical treatment including five who were placed in emergency care.
Baza, a Telegram channel close to Russian law enforcement, reported on Tuesday that the fire, now spread over 10,000 square metres, is likely to continue for several days.
(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; editing by Jason Neely)
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