The death toll has risen to 16 in an explosion on Sunday of unknown cause in a commercial district of Yerevan. ArmeniaThis was announced today by the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the country. According to the same source, another 18 people are listed as missing.

The Armenian authorities also reported more than 60 injured, and 350 rescuers arrived at the scene.

The explosion, the cause of which is unknown, occurred early Sunday morning at the Surmalu wholesale market, which is crowded on Sundays.

Some media, citing eyewitnesses, reported that the explosion occurred in a place where fireworks were stored.

The authorities ruled out the possibility of a terrorist attack, saying that they had launched an investigation into “violations of the rules for storing flammable products” and “violations of fire safety rules” that caused the death of many people “by negligence”. .

The disaster in Yerevan plunges Armenia into mourning at a time when the country is going through a difficult period.

The small Caucasian state of about three million people is still reeling from a 2020 war with neighboring Azerbaijan, in which it suffered a heavy defeat that sparked a major political crisis.

^{Sources: APE-MPE, REUTERS, AFP.}