Aug 14 (Reuters) – Explosions ripped through a fireworks warehouse in a shopping mall in the Armenian capital Yerevan on Sunday, killing three people and injuring more than 60, Russian news agencies reported.
Footage showed a thick cloud of smoke billowing over the building, before an explosion sounded, prompting people to flee the scene.
While two deaths had been previously reported, the Interfax news agency, quoting the Armenian Ministry of Emergencies, reported that a third dead had been found.
The fire was brought under control. According to the first elements of the investigation, two major explosions caused the collapse of part of a building where fireworks were stored.
The Minister of Health reported 61 injuries, some of whom were hospitalized.
The reason why the fireworks went off is not immediately known. (Reuters editorial; French version Jean Terzian)