(Yerevan) At least 15 soldiers died and three were seriously injured in a barracks fire in eastern Armenia, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.
“Fifteen soldiers were killed due to a fire that broke out in a company of engineers and snipers,” the ministry said in a statement. “The condition of three soldiers is considered serious,” he added.
According to the ministry, the fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. Thursday (4:30 p.m. EST Wednesday) in the village of Azat in the eastern region of Gegharkunik. According to the first elements of the investigators, the fire had an accidental origin.
The disaster is the “result of a breach of security rules,” said Defense Minister Souren Papikian.
Several army officers were removed from their posts by the Minister of Defense after this incident which aroused great emotion in Armenia.
Last August, more than a dozen people were killed in an explosion and subsequent fire at a busy market in the Armenian capital, Yerevan.
Armenia, a Caucasian country of about three million people, is still recovering from its heavy defeat in the 2020 war against neighboring Azerbaijan and the ensuing political crisis.
Despite the end of large-scale fighting, tensions persist between ex-Soviet rivals over their borders with frequent exchanges of fire.
On Thursday, the Armenian Defense Ministry announced that a soldier was seriously injured by Azerbaijani fire at the border.
Quoted by local media, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense denied any firing towards the forces of Yerevan.