Tashkent, Uzbekistan - Three people died and 21 were injured when a fire at a Soviet-era ammunition depot set off domino blasts overnight in southern Uzbekistan, local agencies reported on Thursday. 

Regional authorities fear more explosions from the smouldering wreckage. 

"A fire at the weapons depot set off explosions which the soldiers were unable to contain ... Now there is a very real danger of new blast from unexploded shells at the depot," an Uzbek Defence Ministry source was quoted by Ferghana news agency as saying. 

The series of explosions in the town of Kagan shattered windows more than 12 kilometers away, Ferghana cited witnesses as saying, and caused panic among local residents jolted awake at about 2 am. 

The ammunition depot, train station and over 20 homes were leveled by the blast, which sent shrapnel flying. 

"Residents living nearby have been evacuated. Those injured are being given medical assistance," the ministry source was quoted as saying. 

The weapons depot in Kagan is a hold-over from Soviet military operations in neighboring Afghanistan. (dpa)