By Ria Novosti. Asia Pacific, 03:01 PM IST

Tashkent, July 10 (RIA Novosti) Several people were feared dead or injured as a series of explosions ripped apart a Soviet-era arms depot in southern Uzbekistan overnight, the Fergana news agency reported.

The agency said the blasts at the depot situated in the town of Kagan started in the early hours of Thursday, sending artillery shells shooting into the air.

'There are fatalities and injuries but their number is not yet known,' the report said.

A resident of nearby Bukhara, the fifth largest city of the central Asian country, earlier told RIA Novosti that the blasts could be heard from Bukhara and had been ringing out all through the night.

By Ria Novosti (Staff Writer, © IANS)