RA Investigative Committee Updates on Explosion in Artsakh

The Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia has summarized the interim results of the investigation into the explosion that occurred on September 25 of this year in a fuel storage facility located near the Stepanakert-Askeran roadway in Nagorno-Karabakh.

According to the findings from the conducted investigative and other procedural actions, it has been established that 218 individuals lost their lives as a result of the explosion at the mentioned facility. Among the deceased, two were servicemen of the Artsakh police forces who were stationed at the facility, and 31 were military personnel, including 9 officers and 5 sub-officers, with the rest being conscripts.

As a result of the explosion and the subsequent fire, at least 120 individuals sustained varying degrees of bodily injuries, mainly in the form of burns. According to the current data from the investigation, the whereabouts of 21 individuals remain unknown.

Of the deceased, the identities of 138 have been determined through the assigned forensic examinations, while 77 were identified through other investigative and procedural actions. The identities of three of the deceased have yet to be clarified as their relatives have not yet contacted the investigative body or provided samples necessary for forensic identification.

The Investigative Committee urges anyone who has relatives missing from the explosion site to contact the Military Investigative Main Department of the RA Investigative Committee to help clarify the identities of the aforementioned three bodies.