A negligent and unscrupulous attitude, demonstrated by businessmen and officials, is to blame for the recent gas station blast in Dagestan’s administrative center of Makhachkala that left 35 people dead and scores injured, the head of Russia’s North Caucasus region Sergey Melikov said.
"This tragedy has once again highlighted [the problem of] providing shoddy services to the population. These services fall under Article 238. But there was negligence on the part of entrepreneurs and officials from governmental agencies, whose duty is to issue permits for construction and use of high-risk facilities only when certain requirements are met," Melikov said.
What happened?
An explosion rocked a filling station in a Makhachkala suburb on August 14, leaving 35 people dead and 119 injured. According to the authorities, a total of 440 buildings were damaged by the blast. The Russian Investigative Committee has initiated a probe. Russian President Vladimir Putin offered condolences to the families of those killed in the accident.
