WATCH: Munitions storage depot explodes in Erbil, no casualties reported

A large military storage facility containing ammunition exploded early Saturday early morning in the province of Erbil, with no casualties so far reported.
kurdistan24.net

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A large military storage facility containing ammunition exploded Saturday early morning in the province of Erbil, with no casualties so far reported.

The blast took place at approximately 4:00 am in the town of Baharka, just outside the capital of the Kurdistan Region.

Though weapons are often stored there, it is believed to have been stocked with only various kinds of ammunition at the time of the incident, according to information obtained by a Kurdistan 24 correspondent.

A source told the correspondent that, due at least in part to high summer temperatures, a fire broke out in the depot which later led to the munitions detonating, destroying most of the building.

Kurdish local officials have yet to comment on the blast.

It is the third explosion in recent memory taking place at weapons and ammunition storage sites in Erbil. In Aug. 2017, a Peshmerga storage facility near Erbil International Airport (EIA). Though the sound was heard in most of the neighborhoods of the city, there were also no human casualties.

In the same year, another Peshmerga weapons storage warehouse exploded in Erbil’s Newroz Street, again blamed on summer temperatures. In that blast, three Peshmerga members were injured.

Editing by John J. Catherine