At least 15 dead in fire at Armenia military barracks

Three people are in serious condition, Defence Ministry says

Armenian soldiers patrolling the mountains near the frontier with Azerbaijan in the Gegharkunik valley. Azerbaijan army is interned some kilometers from the official border between Armenia and AzerbaiShow more

A fire that broke out overnight at the barracks of an Armenian military unit left 15 soldiers dead and three others in serious condition, the country's Defence Ministry said on Thursday.

The blaze broke out at about 1.30am on Thursday in the village of Azat, in Armenia's eastern Gegharkunik region. The cause has yet to be established.

Last August, more than a dozen people were killed in an explosion and subsequent fire at a busy market in Armenia's capital Yerevan.

The Caucasus nation of about three million people is still recovering from a 2020 war with Azerbaijan, which ended in a heavy defeat and sparked a political crisis.

Despite the end of the large-scale fighting, tension persists between the former Soviet states over their borders.