Blast blamed on fireworks may have killed several hundred

IT WAS just the harmless detonation of some fireworks, theauthorities in Turkmenistan insisted, and there were no casualties.But reports on opposition websites and eyewitness testimony suggestthat a series of explosions last week at an arms depot in theisolated Central Asian country could have killed dozens of peopleand injured hundreds.

Already the secretive Turkmen government has been forced to admitthat the blasts last Thursday near Abadan were indeed caused bymunitions. Officials now say that 15 people were killed, 13 of themcivilians. But one opposition website claims that there were morethan 1,300 people injured. Unofficial reports of the number ofdeaths range from 30 to several hundred.

One opposition website quotes an Abadan resident claiming thatmore than 50 soldiers guarding the depot were killed instantly.Other reports from residents who fled the town say that shells hitthe local hospital and a school building, killing many children.

It is impossible to verify the information trickling out fromAbadan but it is clear the official account does not tell the fullstory. It is not known how the fire started at the military depot,but grainy videos from survivors show a huge plume of smoke comingfrom the building and artillery shells flying out in all directions.

The day after the blast, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedovmade no mention of the accident. Turkmen diplomats said the blastshad been caused by fireworks exploding in the summer heat.

Turkmenistan was ruled for more than a decade by SaparmuratNiyazov, a dictator who called himself Turkmenbashi, or "Leader ofthe Turkmen".

Mr Berdymukhammedov, a former dentist, came to power after MrNiyazov's death in late 2006. Media freedom is non-existent andinternet access severely limited in the country.

The president appeared to betray just how serious the damage toAbadan is by a promise to build a "new town" in place of the ruinedbuildings.