Three soldiers were admitted to the National Center of Burns and Dermatology; two are at the intensive care unit and one—at the burns unit. Karine Babayan, the deputy director on medical affairs of the aforesaid center and the health minister's adviser on burns, told reporters about this on Thursday—and with respect to the consequences of the tragic fire that occurred in a military unit in Gegharkunik Province of Armenia.
According to her, the condition of those soldiers at the intensive care unit is assessed as severe, and they have sustained burns to the airways.
"The condition of the third soldier is more stable, satisfactory. (…). All three were burned by the flames," she added, in particular.
According to the deputy director of the national center for burns, all three servicemen are conscious.
Babayan added that the officer in question was one of those at the intensive care unit.
Earlier, Armenian News-NEWS.am reported that at around 1:30am on Thursday, a fire broke out—under still unknown circumstances—in the accommodation of the engineer-sapper troop of the military unit located in the territory of Azat village of Armenia’s Gegharkunik Province. According to preliminary data, 15 servicemen have died as a result of this fire, and three others are injured.
Criminal proceedings have been launched into this incident.
At today's Cabinet session of the government, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gave details on this incident.
“(…) not only gasoline was used, but according to preliminary data, the [defense] minister reported that special burners are allocated to light the stoves, so that there will be no need for additional things. An attempt was made to fill the furnace with a 5-liter container. Naturally, when there was an open fire, not only the stove was burned, but also the gasoline. The fire spread to the officer who was trying to light the stove, after which, based on self-defense instinct, the 5-liter gasoline was thrown in the direction of the military unit's accommodation. I guess not on purpose. After that, it is already clear what happened,” Pashinyan had stated.
