Two men died on Tuesday in a powerful explosion that ripped through an industrial plant in Yerevan cooperating with the Armenian Ministry of Defense.
The explosion destroyed a section of a three-story building inside the Elektron plant’s compound located in the city’s southern Charbakh suburb. “Two persons were in that section and they both died,” Minister of Emergency Situations Armen Yeritsian told reporters at the scene.
Both victims, Janibek Martirosian and Azizbek Barsamian, were found buried in the rubble. Barsmaian, 64, was dead when his body was found by a rescue team rushed to the plant. The 67-year-old Martirosian died shortly after being taken to hospital.
According to Yeritsian, one of the men managed a production unit at Elektron while the other worked as his deputy. “It’s not yet clear what was manufactured there,” the minister said. He added, though, that the company produced “some things” for the Armenian military and confirmed that Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian also inspected its premises after the blast.
Officials at the scene declined to comment on possible causes of the deadly incident. “The police have already opened a criminal case,” said Yeritsian. “The investigation will determine the causes.”
“There are no theories yet,” Vahagn Harutiunian, a high-ranking police investigator, told journalists for his part.
The explosion destroyed a section of a three-story building inside the Elektron plant’s compound located in the city’s southern Charbakh suburb. “Two persons were in that section and they both died,” Minister of Emergency Situations Armen Yeritsian told reporters at the scene.
Both victims, Janibek Martirosian and Azizbek Barsamian, were found buried in the rubble. Barsmaian, 64, was dead when his body was found by a rescue team rushed to the plant. The 67-year-old Martirosian died shortly after being taken to hospital.
According to Yeritsian, one of the men managed a production unit at Elektron while the other worked as his deputy. “It’s not yet clear what was manufactured there,” the minister said. He added, though, that the company produced “some things” for the Armenian military and confirmed that Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian also inspected its premises after the blast.
Officials at the scene declined to comment on possible causes of the deadly incident. “The police have already opened a criminal case,” said Yeritsian. “The investigation will determine the causes.”
“There are no theories yet,” Vahagn Harutiunian, a high-ranking police investigator, told journalists for his part.