Fire Still Present in Surmalu Trade Center Amid Ongoing Search Operations

Search operations have resumed in the area of the Surmalu trade center:

“We are looking for one person, and we approximately know where they should be. We hope to have some news soon. The problem is that there are dangerous hanging structures and panels that need to be removed before we can proceed with the work,” said Hovhannes Emişyan, deputy director of the Ministry of Emergency Situations rescue service.

“There has been high temperature inside, and in the morning, work was being done to extinguish the hotspots. In other words, it is the sixth day, and we still have fire present in the hotspots,” the official added.

It is reminded that an explosion occurred in the Surmalu trade center on August 14 at approximately 13:23. A total of 185 rescue service workers are involved in firefighting and search operations, along with twenty water trucks from the Yerevan municipality, twelve cargo trucks, five tractors, three high-capacity cranes, and seven additional units of equipment. Search and rescue teams from Shirak and Tavush provinces have also been dispatched to the scene.