Video: Parents are calling since morning, I don't know what to say – resident living near military unit recounts

Residents living near the burnt military unit in the Gegharkunik region did not hear any explosion sounds during the night. By the time they woke up, everything had already burned down. This was reported by local residents to a correspondent from Sputnik Armenia.

Avetik Grigoryan, a resident of the village of Azat, recounted that he was very close to the soldiers, who regularly visited his home. Therefore, the loss of the young men is a personal loss for him.

“The soldiers of this battalion were like my sons; I loved them as if they were my own children,” Grigoryan said.

Since Avetik Grigoryan lived very close to the military unit, he also knew many of the soldiers’ parents. According to him, parents have been calling him since early morning.

“They keep calling, and I don’t know what to say,” he added.

Grigoryan also mentioned that he last saw the soldiers of the military unit the evening before, when they had come to the village to bring water.

It’s important to note that on January 19, around 01:30, a fire broke out in the barracks of the engineering platoon of the RA Ministry of Defense’s unit located in the territory of the village of Azat under still unclear circumstances. Reports indicated that despite firefighting efforts on the scene, there were 15 fatalities and 3 injuries due to the fire.