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.