Requiem services for the souls of the innocent victims who died in the explosion at the Surmalu shopping market in Yerevan are being held Thursday in all the churches of the Araratian Patriarchal Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Days of mourning have been declared on Wednesday and Thursday in Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)—and in memory of the aforesaid casualties.

Sixteen people, including a pregnant woman and a small child, were killed in the powerful explosion at the Surmalu shopping market on August 14. One person is still considered missing In addition, 62 people were administered to hospitals, and four of them continue to receive treatment there.

Criminal proceedings have been launched into the aforesaid explosion—and under the Criminal Code articles on "Violation of fire safety rules or requirements, which has negligently caused the death of a person or other serious consequences," and "Violation of rules or requirements for the storage, accounting, transportation, delivery or use of flammable or combustible materials, which has negligently caused the death of a person or other serious consequences."