Terrible explosions in Armenia's capital: three people dead - dozens injured, many missing
Created: 08/14/2022, 10:48 p.m
By: Christoph Gschossmann
Chaos in Yerevan: Large explosions occurred in the Armenian capital.
© Daniel Bolshakov / picture alliance
Armenia's capital Yerevan was rocked by multiple explosions.
At least three people died.
Yerevan / Munich – Explosions and smoke over Armenia's capital Yerevan: According to official information, at least three people were killed and 60 others injured in a heavy explosion in a shopping center in the South Caucasus republic.
The detonation happened just outside the center of the capital Yerevan, as a reporter from the German Press Agency reported at the scene.
The Armenian civil defense announced that at least 25 people were still missing in the evening.
Video quickly circulating on Twitter shows an explosion at Surmalu Market, not far from the city center.
According to the first reports, a warehouse with fireworks blew up.
A gas line exploded as a result.
The detonation on Sunday afternoon (local time) was massive.
Many people ran away from the scene of the accident for their lives.
The authorities assumed that careless handling of fire was the cause.
Several buildings collapsed or were damaged on the wholesale site.
The fire was not extinguished even after hours.
A cloud of smoke spread over the city.
Dust and debris settled on cars.
According to the Ministry of Health, more than 60 people were injured.
About a dozen of them were children.
The explosion is followed by bomb threats
The next danger loomed immediately after the explosion: a few hours later, the country's civil defense received several bomb threats.
After that, bombs were planted in the Yerevan subway, in the parliament and in other buildings.
Passengers had to exit the subway.
Specialists searched the stations, but found no explosive devices.
There was no information about a connection between the events.
The former Soviet Republic of Armenia in the South Caucasus, bordering Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia, is one of the poorest countries in the region.
Again and again there are violations of elementary safety regulations.
Rescue workers and the fire brigade were deployed without protective masks.
Armenia is in a military conflict with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
(cg with dpa)
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