17:54,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS. The search and rescue operations for the missing citizen in the "Surmalu" shopping center continue, there is 40 m2 of space left, where the rescuers still need to carry out search operations, ARMENPRESS reports deputy director of the Rescue Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Armenia, colonel Hovhannes Yemishyan said in a briefing with journalists.

"We worked for two days to reach the area where the missing person is supposed to be. We are looking at all possible places, we are not ruling out any part," said Yemishyan.

According to the deputy director of the rescue service, there was a high temperature in the likely location of the missing person, and firefighting operations were carried out in that area for more than 20 hours.

"There is about 1-1.5 meters of ash there. The temperature during the explosion and fire was between 500 and 1000 °C. It is possible that the body has turned into ashes," Yemishyan said.

The deputy director of the rescue service noted that, probably, search and rescue operations will be carried out for one more day, after which a conclusion will be made whether the citizen was found or not.

After the explosion and fire in the "Surmalu" shopping center on August 14, 16 bodies of citizens were found, all of them have been identified. Vanik Khachik Amirkhanyan is currently considered missing.