During the fall session the National Assembly will consider a draft on tightening the rules for organizing fireworks, Tigran Avinyan, former Deputy Prime Minister and member of the board of the Civil Contract Party, told journalists at the scene of the explosion at Surmalu shopping center.

“Back in 2021, the Government discussed a project that would limit the use of fireworks. We should be able to give up that culture,” he said.

According to the former deputy prime minister, the explosion has nothing to do with a terrorist act.

“Storing around four tons of fireworks in one place is dangerous, and one small spark can have such consequences. Even if the world’s best ventilation system is there, the presence of four tons of explosive material is already a danger,” he said.

Sixteen people have been confirmed dead, two are missing after a powerful explosion rocked Surmlu shopping center in Yerevan. The fire caught up at a warehouse where tons of firework materials were stored.