A powerful explosion has rocked a shopping center and sparked a fire in Armenia’s capital Yerevan, killing one person and injuring 45 others.
Key points:
- Rescue teams and civilians searched for people trapped under the debris
- 45 people were injured and one person died as a result of the explosion, fire
- It is not yet known what caused the fireworks to ignite
A spokesman for the emergency services ministry said 26 people had been taken to hospital, including 11 children.
More than three hours after the afternoon explosion at the Surmalu market, firefighters worked to put out the fire.
Rescue workers and plainclothes volunteers searched for victims who might be trapped under slabs of concrete and twisted metal.
An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw two people pulled from the rubble: a woman with an injured leg and a young man who appeared to be unconscious.
Emergencies Minister Armen Pambukhchyan also said two sisters were pulled alive from the rubble.
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The market, located 2 kilometers south of the city center, is popular for its low prices and variety of products.
Fireworks continued to explode as firefighters and first responders worked through thick gray smoke billowing from the top of a building.
Many of the injured were taken to hospital. (Reuters: Vahram Baghdasaryan/Photolure)
An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw two people pulled from the rubble: a woman with an injured leg and a young man who appeared to be unconscious.
Emergencies Minister Armen Pambukhchyan said two sisters were pulled alive from the rubble.
The Surmalu market is located about two kilometers south of the city center.
There was no immediate word on what set off the fireworks.
It is unknown how the fireworks were ignited. (Reuters: Vahram Baghdasaryan/Photolure)
Reuters/AP