In the village of Sevan, in the Gegharkunik province, today, on December 15, the process of identifying the remains of the victims of the tragic explosion at the Free Village military base will continue.

The court session concluded as the working hours came to an end.

On January 19, around 01:30, a devastating explosion occurred in the military warehouse of the Free Village in the Gegharkunik province. This unfortunate incident resulted in the loss of 15 soldiers’ lives, with 7 soldiers being transferred to Vardenis hospital. Among those, four were discharged after receiving medical treatment, while three were transferred to the National Center of Oncology in Yerevan due to serious injuries.

In the immediate aftermath of the explosion, the 2nd Deputy Commander of the 2nd Corps, along with seven other high-ranking officers, were relieved of their duties.

A few hours later, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced the government’s resignation during a cabinet meeting, highlighting the “irreparable consequences” caused by the explosion.

A criminal case has been initiated, encompassing Article 4 of the 532nd Code and Article 3 of the 550th Code of the Republic of Armenia. These articles pertain to intentionally violating handling rules and causing death through negligence with the use of official position, respectively. These charges have been attached to the main case.

Notably, the state commission responsible for the investigation has faced doubts and mistrust from the relatives of the victims. They believe that the investigation has been a cover-up and that some soldiers may have died before the explosion. Many of them have shared stories about conflicts between soldiers and officers.

“There is a significant amount of information, Mr. Norik, that I choose not to disclose publicly,” stated a military expert regarding the tragic explosion.