Published: Just now
16 people have been confirmed dead after the powerful explosion at the Surmalu market in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, on Sunday. About 60 people were injured in the explosion, which sparked a fire and caused a building to collapse.
18 people are still missing and over 350 rescue workers are working on the operation.
The cause of the accident has not yet been determined, but according to witness reports in local media, the explosion must have been triggered in a warehouse of fireworks.
Local authorities have ruled out a terrorist attack and a prosecutor has opened a preliminary investigation to see if crimes have been committed around the storage of flammable goods and fire safety, as well as whether the deaths were caused by negligence.