Police Chief Says Explosion on Yerevan Passenger Bus Likely Caused by Bomb

The bus explosion that occurred on Yerevan's Halabyan street late Monday was not caused by gas or diesel leaks, Vladimir Gasparyan, the Chief of Armenian police, told reporters. He added that there is still no definitive account of what happened and all preliminary versions may still change.

The blast, according to the Police Chief, “occurred near the second seat on the right side of the bus” and authorities are currently working to identify the passenger who might have occupied that seat.

Narek Malyan, an advisor to Gasparyan, wrote on his Facebook page early on Tuesday that “all information provided by law enforcement agencies is premature, so it is impossible to make definite statements [in regard to the causes of the explosion].”

“As of this moment, [it is known that]:
1. The bus operated on diesel fuel;
2. The bus did not burn, there was a”dry” blast;
3. The bus exploded on the go;
4. The driver is alive and conscious;
5. The blast was caused by a  high explosive and was not a fragmentation one,” Malyan wrote.

As of Tuesday morning, two people were reported dead and eight people injured because of the blast. Armenia’s Emergency Situations Ministry has released the names of those injured: Hasmik S Melkonyan (born in 1963), Anush A Yeghikyan (1979), Harutyun N Terzyan (1971), Edgar A Gasparyan (2002), Anahit S Mikayelyan ( 2001), Aregnaz S Ghalechyan (1955), Roland S Khojayan (2001), Artur V Margaryan (1994).