At least one person has been killed and an unknown number of people are feared trapped in rubble after a strong explosion ripped through a retail market in Armenia’s capital Yerevan, according to officials.
Rescue workers were working to pull people out of the rubble, Levon Sardaryan, a spokesman for the Yerevan mayor told reporters.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations said there were 10 fire engines on the spot, and 10 more were on their way to the Surmalu market, located about 2km south of the city’s centre.
The cause of the blast was not immediately known.
Photos and videos posted on social media showed a thick column of black smoke over the market as successive explosions could be heard.
The emergency ministry said at least 20 people were injured in the blast.
At least one person is dead and 20 injured after a strong explosion at a fireworks storage hit a large market in Armenian capital Yerevan.
Read more: https://t.co/5tZerDKEIU pic.twitter.com/lr4O5b6eLz
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 14, 2022
New footage of a monstrous explosion in the capital of #Armenia appears on the social media. pic.twitter.com/tnEgKcUdKC
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) August 14, 2022