Smoke from fire rises above a burning fuel tank of an oil depot in Voronezh, Russia, June 24, 2023.  REUTERS/Stringer
Russia

Emergency teams tackle burning fuel tank at Russian oil depot

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The governor of Russia's Voronezh region said on Saturday that emergency services were trying to put out a burning fuel tank at an oil depot.

More than 100 firefighters and 30 units of equipment were working at the site, Alexander Gusev, the governor said on Telegram.

"There was decompression of two tanks with oil products (aviation fuel), 5 tonnes each, at an oil depot on Dimitrov street. Firefighting is proceeding normally," he said.

A blast is seen in an oil depot in Voronezh, Voronezh Region, Russia June 24, 2023, in this screen grab obtained from a handout video.

He later said that only one reservoir was damaged.

Flames and smoke rise following a blast in an oil depot in Voronezh, Voronezh Region, Russia June 24, 2023, in this screen grab obtained from a handout video.

Video footage obtained by Reuters showed a ball of fire erupting after a helicopter flew near a residential area. The Voronezh location was verified by Reuters by buildings and road characteristics that matched satellite imagery.

A blast is seen in an oil depot in Voronezh, Voronezh Region, Russia June 24, 2023, in this screen grab obtained from a handout video.

Earlier on Saturday, a Russian security source told Reuters that Wagner fighters had taken control of military facilities in the city of Voronezh, about 500 km (310 miles) south of Moscow. Reuters could not independently confirm that assertion.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

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