Bus explosion in Armenian capital kills two

Thursday, April 28, 2016

A bus explosion in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, on Monday killed two Armenians and reportedly injured at least seven others. Deputy head of the rescue service at the Ministry of Emergency Situations Major-General Grigoryan said the blast was reported on Monday at 10:00pm local time (1800 UTC).

In remarks to News.am, Armenian Health Minister Armen Muradyan said six injured were transported to a local medical centre. One passenger was revealed to be pregnant, and News.am reported at least five others were in critical condition.

Reportedly the blast destroyed nearby houses' windows, and could be heard for miles.

While authorities are still investigating the incident, the Emergencies Ministry said the bus was using diesel fuel so it wasn't a gas explosion. In remarks to Associated Press (AP), investigative committee member Sona Truzyan said they have considered and rejected a terrorist explanation. Truzyen reported the committee is currently investigating a party to a domestic dispute. An investigator told AP the suspect had threatened to give them a bomb, which could have exploded accidentally en route to its intended target.

The suspect's telephone SIM card was recovered from the scene,. A detonator, TNT, and other electronics were found at his residence, and evidence of TNT was discovered on the bus.

A 2016 study by crowdsourced site Numbeo says Armenia has the 93rd highest crime rate in the word. It's behind a number of other countries, including the United States and many European countries.

General Prosecutor's Office of Armenia said they would give the public regular updates on the ongoing investigation.

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Sources

"Crime Index for Country 2016" — Numbeo, April 27, 2016 (date of access)
"General Prosecutor's Office of Armenia: Bus explosion not terrorism" — Armenpress, April 26, 2016
Avet Demourian (AP). "Bus explosion in Armenia's capital not terror act, investigators say" — CTV News, April 26, 2016
"Armenian investigative committee finds no terror link to Yerevan bus blast" — Sputnik (news agency), April 26, 2016
Karlen Aslanian. "Armenian Police Identify Chief Suspect In Yerevan Bus Blast" — Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, April 26, 2016
"At least 2 dead, 7 injured as blast hits passenger bus in Armenian capital" — RT (TV network), April 26, 2016
"[Updated] Bus explosion in Yerevan kills 1, injures 6" — Asbarez, April 25, 2016
"Bus explosion in Yerevan (Update)" — Armenian Weekly, April 25, 2016

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