Turkmen blast toll disputed

The authoritarian government of Turkmenistan said yesterday that 15 people died after a large explosion rocked a town outside the capital earlier this week.

The government press service said two soldiers and 13 civilians died as a result of the explosion in Abadan, 12 miles from the capital, Ashgabat.

A series of blasts that began late on Thursday and went on until early Friday, was caused by overheating at a fireworks warehouse that triggered further explosions at a depot where outdated, Soviet-made ammunition was kept, the press service said.

However, a video broadcast by Russian television critical of the Turkmen government appeared to show the incident was the result of high explosives. A human rights group claimed nearly 200 people died in the blast.