CNN - Officials blame 'outdated Soviet subways' - Oct. 29, 1995

Hundreds die in Azerbaijan subway fire

Officials blame 'outdated Soviet subways'

smashed train October 29, 1995
Web posted at: 12 p.m. EST (1700 GMT)

BAKU, Azerbaijan (CNN) -- Officials in the capital of the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan blame "outdated Soviet subways" for an electrical fire that trapped commuters, killing at least 289 people and injuring more than 100 others. Authorities said the number could rise and firemen who battled the fumes to bring bodies to the surface told the independent Azerbaijani news agency Turan they feared the death toll might reach 600.

loading bodies Witnesses said panic broke out in the train when it came to a halt in a tunnel between the Uldus and Narimanov underground stations in central Baku early on Saturday evening and smoke began to pour into the carriages. According to police, the last two cars on the train caught fire when an electrical motor ignited, possibly from a spark from a high voltage cable. Authorities insisted there was no indication that Saturday's fire was intentional but a Moscow radio station quoted sources in Baku as saying sabotage had not been ruled out. Last year, 20 people were killed in two terrorist attacks on the Baku subway. Both cases are still under investigation.

Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Abbas Abbasov told the Turan news agency that the fire was probably caused by Baku's "outdated Soviet subways." The Azerbaijan government declared a two-day mourning period. Baku's main television station shut down Sunday morning and all local radio stations played funeral music.

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