The Yerevan Municipality has shut down the city’s Surmalu Market due to ongoing fire and safety violations.

An explosion at the market last August killed sixteen and injured scores more.

Two days after the August 14 blast, the Ministry of Emergency Situations claimed that four tons of explosive material had been stored at the market.

A Yerevan court, on February 23, decided to detain Surmalu Market Director Madatova for two months for violating fire safety regulations and forging a document. The investigation is ongoing.