The death toll reached 16 from the explosion that occurred on Sunday from an unknown cause in the commercial zone of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, the country’s Ministry of Emergency Situations announced today.
“Sixteen bodies were found during search and rescue operations,” the ministry said. According to the same source, another 18 people are missing.
The Armenian authorities have also spoken of more than 60 injured, while 350 rescuers have rushed to the scene.
The explosion, the cause of which is not known, occurred early Sunday afternoon at the Surmalou wholesale market, a busy place on Sundays.
Some media, citing eyewitnesses, reported that the explosion occurred in a place where fireworks were stored.
The authorities have ruled out the possibility of an attack, while announcing that an investigation has been launched into “violations of regulations on the storage of highly flammable products” and “violation of fire prevention rules” which “negligently” caused the death of many people.
The disaster in Yerevan plunges Armenia into mourning at a time when the country is going through a difficult period.
The small Caucasus state of about three million people has yet to recover from the 2020 war with neighboring Azerbaijan, in which it suffered a heavy defeat that triggered a major political crisis.
A sign of the growing nervousness: shortly after the explosion in the Surmalu market, the Yerevan subway was evacuated due to a bomb threat, authorities said, later clarifying that no explosive device had been found.
SOURCE: AMPE
Source: Capital
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