Monday,
Bomb ‘Almost Ruled Out’ As Cause Of Armenian Market Blast
Armenia -- Rescue workers on August 15 continued to search for survivors after
the previous day’s major explosion and fire at the Surmalu shopping center in
Yerevan.
Authorities in Armenia do not see evidence that a series of explosions and
subsequent fire at a local shopping center was due to a bomb planted there.
Talking to reporters on Monday, one day after the deadly incident at the Surmalu
wholesale market just off the center of Yerevan, Minister of Emergency
Situations Armen Pambukhchian said that such a theory is “almost ruled out.”
“Watching the footage of the explosion, we almost rule out such a theory [that a
bomb had been planted], because first there was smoke, then fire covering some
small area, then came an explosion… Quite a large amount of explosive materials
was stored there,” the minister explained.
Meanwhile, firefighters continued to fight pockets of fire throughout Monday and
rescue workers searched for survivors who may have been trapped under the rubble
after a partial collapse of a three-story building of the fireworks warehouse.
Officials said as of Monday evening at least seven people have been killed and
over 60 injured in the Surmalu market explosions and fire. Most of the injured
have already been discharged from hospitals, but about a dozen continue to
receive treatments, health authorities said.
Officials added that 21 people remain unaccounted for, including five citizens
of Iran and one citizen of Russia.
Armenia Receives Condolences On Deadly Shopping Center Blast
Armenia - Firefighters on August 15 continued to fight a blaze at the Surmalu
market in Yerevan triggered by a powerful explosition that caused multiple
detonations inside a fireworks warehouse on the location the previous day.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and officials representing other countries have
offered condolences to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian over a powerful
explosion and fire at a Yerevan market that killed at least six people and
injured dozens on Sunday.
In a message to Pashinian over the Surmalu market explosion and fire Putin,
according to the Kremlin, asked the Armenian leader to accept his “deepest
condolences” over the loss of life.
“Please convey my sincere words of sympathy and support to the families of the
victims and my wishes of a speedy recovery to all those injured,” Putin wrote.
Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also offered condolences in a Twitter post
addressed to its Armenian counterparts.
“News about a massive explosion in Yerevan, Armenia, is shocking. Our
condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the tragedy. We wish
swift and speedy recovery to all those injured and stand in solidarity with our
Armenian friends in this difficult time!” it said.
Foreign embassies in Yerevan, including the embassies of the United States and
China, also reportedly expressed condolences regarding the deadly explosion and
fire at the Surmalu market.
Earlier, on Sunday, Serdar Kilic, a Turkish envoy in normalization talks with
Armenia, also offered condolences to his Armenian counterpart on the market
explosion.
Firefighters in Yerevan are still battling the blaze at the market a day after
an explosion triggered the fire, killing at least six people and injuring 61
people.
Authorities say at least 15 people remain unaccounted for since yesterday, with
rescuers searching for any survivors who may be still trapped under the rubble
of a three-story fireworks warehouse that partially collapsed as a result of the
blast and fire.
It was not immediately clear what caused the fireworks to detonate, but
investigators are now looking into a possible breach of fire-safety regulations.
Pashinian visited the scene of the search-and-rescue operations early on Monday,
but made no public remarks immediately.
Turkish Official Sends Condolences Over Armenian Market Blast
• Tatevik Sargsian
The Armenian and Turkish envoys for normalization talks, Ruben Rubinian and
Serdar Kilic (combination photograph).
A Turkish envoy in normalization talks with Armenia has offered condolences to
his Armenian counterpart on an explosion and fire in a Yerevan shopping center
that killed at least six and injured dozens on Sunday.
Hours after the incident at the Surmalu market when there was news only about
one dead, Serdar Kilic, whom Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had
appointed special representative for talks with Yerevan, posted his condolences
on Twitter.
“I am deeply shocked by the news about the powerful explosion that took place in
the open-air shopping center in the center of Yerevan. I would like to express
my sincere condolences to the family of the victim and wish a speedy recovery to
all those injured as a result of this tragedy,” Kilic wrote, addressing his post
to Armenia’s representative at the talks Ruben Rubinian and the Armenian Foreign
Ministry.
At least six people were killed and 61 injured as a result of yesterday’s
explosions and fire at the sprawling wholesale market in Yerevan selling, among
other things, fireworks and other pyrotechnic materials.
Search and rescue operations still continue on the scene as 15 people are
considered missing.
Armenian authorities said that initial investigation showed two large explosions
brought down part of a building housing fireworks.
It was not immediately clear what caused the fireworks to detonate, but
investigators are now looking into a possible breach of fire-safety regulations.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian visited the scene of the search and
rescue operations early on Monday.
Armenia and Turkey have no diplomatic relations. Last year Pashinian and Turkish
President Erdogan initiated a process of normalizing relations after decades of
feud between the two nations over historical events, including the Ottoman-era
genocide of Armenians that Turkey denies.
The two leaders had a phone call in July, in particular, exchanging
congratulations on different religious festivals marked in their countries
during those days.
Kilic and Rubinian have held four rounds of normalization talks since the
beginning of this year.
Search For Survivors Continues After Deadly Market Blast In Armenia
Armenia - Citizens help rescue workers remove the rubble at the site of a major
explosion and fire in the Surmalu shopping center in Yerevan. .
Firefighters and rescuers on Monday morning continued to search for over a dozen
people missing after powerful explosions and fire at a sprawling Yerevan market
the previous day in which at least 6 people were killed and over 60 others
injured.
Rescue workers sifted through twisted metal and rubble in a search for survivors
throughout the night as firefighters continued to fight the blaze amid clouds of
dust and smoke in the air just off the center in the Armenian capital.
The Armenian Ministry of Emergency Situations said initial investigation showed
two large explosions brought down part of a building housing fireworks.
It was not immediately clear what caused the fireworks to detonate.
Ministry official Gari Armaghanian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that four of
the six dead had already been identified. He added that another 16 people were
still unaccounted for while the search for survivors continued as of 8 am on
Monday.
“At the moment, firefighting and rescue-and-search operations are ongoing, the
fire has not yet been contained, the search work continues,” the official said.
Videos appeared on the Internet early on Monday showing Armenian Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinian visiting the scene of the search and rescue operations.
Earlier, a criminal case was instituted over a possible breach of fire-safety
regulations that caused human death or other grave consequences. Investigators
said they would start looking into possible causes of the explosions and fire
once conditions permit.
Meanwhile, Minister of Emergency Situations Armen Pambukhchian told reporters on
Monday that the version that a bomb had been planted in the shopping center was
“almost excluded.”
Later on Monday authorities said that the list of missing persons rose to 18 and
also included a citizen of Iran and a citizen of Russia.
A major fire at Surmalu in April 2021 destroyed several pavilions and warehouses
with toys and household goods, but no casualties were reported in that fire that
occurred at night.
[see video]
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.azatutyun.am/a/31988858.html__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!uQVxksNwY2ppbsfIk-um4kCuo3I6iQUt3ZkuyKc6P38Pe9QeG0GI8PSxM54_GRolpUqxcRXxCpCv$
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.