What Happened at the University of Economics: An Employee Shares

Students and faculty at the Faculty of Informatics and Statistics of the University of Economics experienced acute choking sensations and coughing today, November 22, leading to an evacuation of students, professors, and administrative staff.

University employee Narine Sargsyan told News that two hours after the evacuation, the danger in the building had been eliminated, but for safety reasons, everyone was sent home.

“I felt a sharp choking sensation, and then I noticed that the deans and students were coming out of the dean's office and classrooms coughing. We were all evacuated at once, and shortly after, emergency responders and police arrived. As soon as we went outside and breathed fresh air, our condition improved, and there were no injuries. An ambulance also arrived, but we did not need medical assistance. Now the danger has been eliminated, and we’ve been told to go home; you will come to work tomorrow,” Narine Sargsyan recounted.

It is noteworthy that today, November 22, at 10:30 AM, the National Crisis Management Center received a call reporting that students at the branch of the University of Economics located at 77 Paruyr Sevak Street in Yerevan were feeling unwell due to a strange odor in the building. Rescue assistance was required.

A firefighting and rescue unit from the Emergency Situations Ministry's Yerevan rescue department, as well as a group of chemical reconnaissance specialists from the department of population protection and disaster risk reduction, were dispatched to the scene.

Before the arrival of the rescuers, about 400 students and 35 professors had been evacuated. Air sampling was conducted on-site, and measuring devices detected no hazardous substances. Currently, no strange odor is sensed at the location.