 Blast at Iran military base kills 15November 12, 2011 - 18:14 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Fifteen Iranian servicemen were killed and several others seriously wounded in an explosion on Saturday, Nov 12 at a military base near Tehran that happened as troops were moving munitions, a Revolutionary Guards spokesman told state TV. "My dear colleagues in the Revolutionary Guards were moving munitions in one of the arsenals at that base when, due to an incident, an explosion happened," Ramezan Sharif told news channel IRINN. "Some of the casualties are reported to be in a critical condition," he added. Earlier, the semi-official Fars news agency carried a statement by the Revolutionary Guards which said the blast happened in an arsenal at a base in Bidganeh, near the city of Karaj, 25 miles (40 km) outside the capital. The Mehr News Agency said the site was closed to reporters. Hossein Garoosi told the Iranian parliament's news agency Icana.ir that the explosion broke building windows close to the site of the blast outside Bidganeh village. Tehran Police Chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said that a specialized team has been dispatched to the scene to examine the circumstances surrounding the blast. A rescue helicopter and six ambulances have been deployed as well. Iran's Red Crescent has also sent three rescue squads, which include search dogs, with hopes of finding survivors. "The cause of the explosion and the number of casualties are being investigated," Radan said, according to Ynetnews.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty  Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty.Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza.Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations.Aram I supports Karekin II’s “patriotic position” Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I has expressed support for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. |
