Armenia explosion: six killed as many feared trapped under rubble

61 people injured and 15 missing after Sunday's blast at market

Six people are now thought to have been killed in an explosion at a bustling market in the Armenian capital Yerevan.

Rescuers continued to search for people they feared were trapped under rubble on Monday.

Another 61 people were injured and 15 were believed to be missing after Sunday's blast, which brought down a building at the Surmalu wholesale market, Armenia's Emergency Situations Minister Armen Pambukhchyan said.

Rescue operations were continuing "very carefully", with people still believed to be trapped beneath the debris, he said.

Video footage of the incident proved "there can be no talk of a terrorist attack" as a fire started before the explosion, Mr Pambukhchyan said.

He said the fire spread to "pyro materials".

Local media had earlier said the explosion went off at a site that stored fireworks.

The cause of the fire was still to be established.

Mr Pambukhchyan said smoke and flames could persist for several days, with lots of plastic smouldering at the scene.

Smoke rises from a market in Armenia's capital Yerevan after explosions at a warehouse containing fireworks. AP

Firefighters extinguish a fire caused by the powerful blast, which killed at least one person. Reuters

The explosions wrecked the building and at least 20 people are believed to have been injured. Reuters

A pall of smoke rises into the sky from the explosions and blaze. Reuters

The blasts happened close to a busy market packed with shoppers. Reuters

Photos and videos posted on social media after the blast showed a thick column of black smoke over the market and what appeared to be a series of explosions can be heard.

Prosecutors launched a probe into "stocking flammable goods", breaches in fire safety standards and the death of people "due to negligence".

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the site of the blast on Monday, his press service said.

In all, 200 firefighters and medical workers were sent to the scene, as well as fire engines and construction site equipment.

Rescue teams used a digger to clear away rubble, an AFP journalist at the scene reported earlier.

The disaster comes as the country of three million people is still recovering from a 2020 war with Azerbaijan, which ended in heavy defeat and sparked a political crisis.