"We've only seen this in movies," say witnesses of the explosion in Fergana.

On December 17 at 13:43, an explosion occurred at a multi-fuel gas station located on Ahmad Yassavi Street in the city of Fergana. This incident was caused by a violation of technological processes and safety regulations during the discharge of liquefied gas, which led to a flash and subsequent fire.

According to the regional emergency management office, rescue teams arrived at the scene at 13:47, localized the fire by 14:02, and completely extinguished it by 14:12.

The incident resulted in serious consequences: four people lost their lives, there are injuries, and several vehicles and dozens of buildings were damaged. A criminal case has been initiated regarding the incident.

A Kun.uz correspondent, who was present at the scene, recorded witness testimonies and comments from officials.

“We live on the third floor of a new building overlooking this gas station. Everyone started screaming, and I looked out the window. It was on fire. We all rushed outside in fear, not even having time to dress. The windows shattered, and the ground shook. We thought the building would collapse.

Cars were burning right on the road. Nearby, there are cafes, a kindergarten, and new buildings under construction,” said one witness, Hamidjon Madrahimov.

Another witness noted that he had only seen such explosions in movies:

“When I looked out, having heard the sound, there was a second explosion. I’ve only seen such things in movies, and here I was witnessing it myself. Objects scattered 50-60 meters away. A fire erupted, and there was a loud bang. We were thrown back two meters. By the time we got there, cars were already on fire. There was a man in a Gentra, his car caught fire. We pulled him out and sent him to the hospital.

The other side of the car was also burning, but we couldn’t get closer; we were afraid there would be another explosion.

As far as I know, the fire occurred due to a propane leak: there were two explosions, the first one was not so strong, but the second shattered windows in the nearby houses. The damage is significant; 5-6 cars were burning,” he recounted.

Another witness reported that residents had initially expressed discontent about the construction of this gas station. However, their concerns were ignored.

“People said that it was not permissible to build a gas station here. After all, this is the city center. Such stations should generally be located 2-3 kilometers away from populated areas. Initially, only gasoline was sold here, and propane was connected two or three months ago. People said this was unacceptable, but no one listened. Now a person has died, and many have been injured,” he added.

The force of the explosion was felt even in homes located 500–600 meters from the epicenter. One local resident noted that after the bang, the doors in their house shook.

Additionally, a distressing situation arose in the nearby kindergarten: sleeping children were urgently evacuated outside and accommodated in the apartments of neighboring houses. After the explosion, the preschool building filled with smoke. Parents collected their children over the course of two hours.

“At 14:00, nine patients with burns were brought to the branch of the Republican Scientific Center for Emergency Medical Assistance in Fergana. They received the necessary medical care. Three were placed in the adult intensive care unit, and two in the pediatric intensive care unit. The condition of all hospitalized patients is stable but serious,” reported Davlatbek Oripov, head of the burn unit.