Collapse at 23 Arami Street, Home of the 'Little Singers of Armenia' Children's Philharmonic

On January 11, at 21:48, the '911' service received a report of a collapse at 23 Arami Street in Yerevan, at the building housing the 'Little Singers of Armenia' Children's Philharmonic. Emergency services were called for assistance.

A fire and rescue team, along with an operational group from the Ministry of Emergency Situations' Crisis Management National Center, were dispatched to the scene.

As a result of the incident, traffic on that section of Arami Street will be temporarily closed.

It was determined that the external wall of the choir's rehearsal room (approximately 35 sq. m) and the ceiling (partially, about 20 sq. m) had collapsed, as well as the ceiling in the reception area, which showed cracks (approximately 1.5 sq. m). The external wall of the adjoining house number 23/3 and its ceiling (approximately 20 sq. m) were also affected, with cracks appearing on the external wall and ceiling of the bedroom. There is a risk of further collapse in the remaining sections of the building.

It should be noted that the building at 23 Arami Street is a cultural heritage monument where the 'Little Singers of Armenia' choir conducts its rehearsals. According to the choir’s artistic director, Tigran Hekekyan, the building was on the brink of collapse. He stated that a wall of the building, adjacent to Teryan Street, was subjected to numerous violations during ongoing construction works carried out under the 'Old Yerevan' project, which led to the hazardous condition of the structure.

Photos by Gagik Shamshyan