“We have done this deliberately, we do not deny it”: The Minister of Emergency Situations on the ongoing work in Surmalu

Rescue operations began today at 8:30 AM. This was stated by the Minister of Emergency Situations, Armen Pambukhchyan, during a briefing with reporters, noting that these operations are being conducted in the presumed epicenter area.

Addressing the outrage of the relatives of the missing citizens, the minister remarked, “We have worked manually, we did not use heavy machinery to avoid harming those who survived or the bodies of the deceased. We have done this deliberately, we do not deny it.”

The minister stated that according to information, a citizen was present at that location at the time of the explosion. “Issues related to the construction will be discussed after the completion of the engineering works,” said Armen Pambukhchyan, assuring that there has been no shortage of human resources, equipment, or professional knowledge during these days, and there has been no need to request assistance from other countries.

It is worth recalling that after the outbreak of fire and explosion at the Surmalu shopping center, the fire was contained within 49 hours, and after 4 hours, meaning a total of 53 hours later, the fire was extinguished, with cooling operations being carried out from time to time.