Ankara extends condolences over deadly blast in Azerbaijan

BAKU

Ankara extended condolences to victims of an explosion that occurred early on April 3 in a nightclub in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku.

“We share their pain with our Azerbaijani brothers,” a statement released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

An explosion struck a nightclub in Baku and set off a fire, killing one person and injuring 31, officials said.

The explosion at the LocationBaku club was believed to have been caused by a gas leak, but the investigation is ongoing, Interior Ministry spokesman Ehsan Zahidov told The Associated Press.

The prosecutor’s office reported one death and said 31 people suffered various injuries. Health Ministry spokesman Parviz Abubekirov told the AP that 24 people had been hospitalized, most of them with burns.

The emergency services issued a statement saying firefighters were called to the club in central Baku at 3 a.m. and extinguished the fire before it could spread.

Video posted on social media showed dozens of people in panic, some of them injured, outside the club, which appeared to have been heavily damaged by the explosion.