Director of 'Surmalu' in Psychological Distress, Refuses to Comment

The director of the "Yerevan Canning Factory" LLC, operating in the "Surmalu" shopping center, has refused to provide comment. NEWS.am attempted to contact director Irina Madatova today, but her relatives informed that she is in a state of psychological distress and does not wish to give comments.

The "Surmalu" shopping center is located within the former premises of the "Yerevan Canning Factory." The area is managed by the "Yerevan Canning Factory" LLC. The owner of the property is Razmik Zakaryan, a member of the first convocation of the National Assembly and part of the "Republic" parliamentary faction. Born in 1936, his residence is listed as one of the buildings on Northern Avenue. Razmik Zakaryan is qualified as an economist, graduating from Yerevan State University, and has also completed studies at the Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture. He was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, held the position of director of the Kamo Meat Factory, and was elected as a member of the Kamo regional council. Zakaryan has also served as the director of the Yerevan Canning Factory.

Last year, the State Oversight Inspection body conducted checks at the Yerevan Canning Factory and identified more than ten violations concerning adherence to fire safety regulations. The company was issued an order to rectify the violations. It has also been reported that the property owner had verbally requested the inspection body to postpone the deadline for addressing the violations, considering the large number of trade stalls, most of which were rented out. However, no follow-up inspection was conducted within a year. The inspection body cited that they were operating under a heavy workload and the company's re-inspection was scheduled for autumn.

Approximately one year before the explosion on August 14, in April 2021, stalls had caught fire in the "Surmalu" shopping center. The newspaper "Zhoghovurd" reported today that the expert conclusion related to the fire case was only received by the investigative committee a month ago. The professional conclusion confirmed that the management of the shopping center failed to comply with safety regulations. According to the newspaper, it is anticipated that shortly, the shopping center's director and a security staff member will sit on the defendant's bench instead of the owners, the Zakaryans, becoming scapegoats.

It’s reminded that on August 14, an explosion occurred in the "Surmalu" shopping center, resulting in more than 60 people injured, 16 fatalities, and as of 5:00 PM, three individuals remain missing. Preliminary assumptions indicate that the cause of the explosion was a fire that broke out in a storage area for fireworks within the shopping center.