The investigation into the deaths in the explosion at a gas station in Dagestan has been completed.

The explosion at the gas station in Novy Khushet was at least the 15th explosion and fire at gas stations in Dagestan in 10 years. At least 54 people died in the explosions, according to the Caucasian Knot.

The criminal investigation against the owner of the gas station where the explosion occurred on September 27, 2024, has been completed. He is accused of providing services that did not meet safety requirements, which resulted in the death of two or more people through negligence (Part 3 of Article 238 of the Russian Criminal Code).

According to investigators, the defendant engaged individuals who were not accredited employees of specialized gas services to carry out reconstruction work on the internal gas pipeline networks at the gas station. The work was carried out in gross violation of industrial, fire, and gas safety laws. "The investigation has established a direct cause-and-effect relationship between safety violations during the operation of internal gas networks located on the premises of the gas station and the incident," the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for Dagestan reported today on its Telegram channel.

The criminal case has been sent for approval of the indictment, the report stated.

After each explosion, authorities promised to address the gas station safety issue, but this never happened, according to the "Caucasian Knot" article "Explosive Gas Stations: Makhachkala Residents in the Affected Zone," published back in 2017.

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