YEREVAN. – Armenia’s Rescue Service received a call, on Thursday at 3:32am, informing that a traffic accident had occurred on the Yerevan-Gyumri Highway, and rescuers were needed.

A firefighting squad and a rescue team were dispatched to the scene, the Rescue Service informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

It was found out that a GAZ 24—with driver Ashot Aharonyan, 54, a capital city Yerevan resident—and an Opel Vectra—with driver Sargis Hovhannisyan, 57, a Gyumri city resident—had crashed for yet unknown reasons.  

As a result, Opel Vectra’s driver and passenger—Sargis Hakobyan,55, a Gyumri city resident—lost their lives on the spot.

Prior to the rescuers’ arrival, however, Opel Vectra’s passengers—Gyumri city residents Grigor Abrahamyan, 27, Vrezh Hakobyan, 31, Vazgen Hakobyan, 30—and GAZ 24’s passenger—Yerevan resident Aram Petrosyan, 33—were taken to hospital.   

The rescuers removed Opel Vectra’s driver S. Hovhannisyan’s dead body from the vehicle and GAZ 24’s driver Ashot Aharonyan, who likewise had sustained injuries and was transferred to hospital.  

Doctors say the patients are in critical condition.