Russian authorities today ordered the evacuation of more than a thousand civilians on the second day of a fire at a major oil terminal in Crimea, which Kiev says was caused by attack on Ukraine, France Press reported, BTA reported.
„In order to ensure the safety of people living near the site [...], a temporary evacuation of 1,047 people to accommodation centers was carried out,” reported on its channel in "Telegram" Igor Tkachenko, mayor of the city of Feodosia, where the terminal is located.
According to data from the Russian emergency services, cited by the state news agency RIA Novosti, the fire is not under control and continues to spread, with three tanks for petroleum products catching fire. “The area of the fire in the oil terminal has grown to 2,500 square meters,” an unnamed rescuer told RIA Novosti.
The Ukrainian army said yesterday that it had hit the Feodosia oil terminal in eastern Crimea with missiles. According to Kyiv, this is the “biggest“ oil terminal on the Crimean peninsula and supplies the Russian army. Russian authorities have confirmed the fire without specifying its cause.
In September last year, Ukraine had already used long-range missiles to hit the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, AFP recalls.