Fire Erupts at the Haghpat Monastery Complex

For more than 2 hours, the emergency response teams from the Lori regional rescue service, along with the fire brigades of Odzun and Tumanyan, have been battling the spreading fire at the Haghpat monastery complex in the village of Haghpat, Lori region, with the assistance of local citizens, reports Shamshyan.com.

According to photojournalist Gagik Shamshyan, a call was received a few hours ago at the 9-11 operational management center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, alerting them to the fire at the monastery complex.

Firefighters and citizens managed to contain the spread of the flames; however, the monastery structure has been completely reduced to ash. The photojournalist notes that employees from the Alaverdi city administration also lent a hand to the firefighting efforts by providing a water truck.

The cause of the fire and any potential injuries are currently being investigated by officers of the Tumanyan police department, who have been present at the scene since the earliest moments of the incident.