Fireworks Warehouse In Armenia Explodes: Three Dead, Others Are Injured

Illustration. (Unsplash/Stephen Radford)

JAKARTA - An explosion rocked a shopping center again in the Armenian capital Yerevan on Sunday, leaving three people dead and dozens injured, Russian news agencies said.

Video footage showed gray smoke billowing over a building as people fled from the area.

Rescue workers separated the metal skeletons and debris to search for survivors, as clouds of dust and smoke hung in the air. Meanwhile, other officers helped the victims move to a safe place.

The Interfax news agency quoted the Armenian Emergencies Ministry as saying the body of the third victim had been recovered, after officials previously reported two deaths as a result of the incident.

Emergencies Minister Armen Pambukhchyan, quoted by Armenia's Sputnik news agency, said the fire had been put out, but strong winds were still a threat. He said rescue teams would continue searching for survivors throughout the night.

The Emergencies Ministry said initial investigations showed two large explosions tore down part of the building where the fireworks were stored.

Meanwhile, the Armenian Ministry of Health said 61 people were injured, with some being treated in hospital. It is not known what caused this explosion.

#Armenia: A Five years old child dead and 36 people including 11 children injured as a Fireworks storage site caught fire and exploded in #Yerevan, #Armenia.

Drone footage of the fireworks warehouse explosion in #Yerevan, #Armenia. pic.twitter.com/tLm1iH34N4

— Wᵒˡᵛᵉʳᶤᶰᵉ Uᵖᵈᵃᵗᵉˢ𖤐 (@W0lverineupdate) August 14, 2022