Body of 16th casualty found under rubbles of Yerevan mall

16 people perished and 17 others are still missing as a result of an explosion and subsequent fire that occurred at the "Surmalu" shopping centre (mall) in Yerevan, the Armenian Ministry for Emergencies (MfE) has informed.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 14, there was an explosion in a fireworks warehouse in the "Surmalu" shopping centre in Yerevan. After the explosion, a strong fire started, a part of the building collapsed. There were a lot of people in the mall during the explosion, eyewitnesses have stated.

Rescuers reported that they found the bodies of two more people under the rubbles; and the death toll rose to 16, the Armenian MfE has reported.

The remains of six out of the 16 casualties have been identified, Armen Pambukhchyan, the MfE head, has informed at a briefing, adding that a pregnant woman and a small child are among the casualties; other 17 people are still listed as missing. "Rescuers work mainly by hand, as there is a possibility that people remain under rubbles. At the moment, about 40% of the territory has been cleared," he has summed up.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 16, 2022 at 10:37 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.