Armenian Emergencies Minister: To reduce risks, public transport in the country should run on diesel fuel

ArmInfo. Armenian Emergency Situations Minister Feliks Tsolakyan believes that to reduce risks, public transport in Armenia should run on diesel fuel. Tsolakyan  expressed this opinion in an interview with journalists on July 8,  referring to the tragic accident involving the route Gazelle in the  Ararat region of the Republic of Armenia, which killed 6 people.

Thus, answering to the journalists' question what was done in terms  of increasing passenger safety after a similar tragic incident  occurred in the Shirak region in 2014, Tsolakyan in particular, said:   "Conclusions must be made after this accident. I have repeatedly said  that passenger vehicles should be equipped with fire extinguishers,  although, as I understand it, in this case, the driver of the Gazelle  was not to blame. I also think that it is necessary to raise the  question of what fuel should be used in public transport. I believe  that it would be correct to use not gas or gasoline, but diesel fuel  in order to prevent fires of a similar scale.  " At the same time, he  noted that legislative changes may be proposed and rules will be  developed to avoid such tragic incidents.

Tsolakyan also pointed out that many drivers operate vehicles without  proper technical inspection and that sanctions are applied to them.

Referring to the overall tragedy that occurred in the Ararat region  on July 6, Tsolakyan assured that the Emergencies Ministry arrived at  the call on time, there was not a moment of delay, they were at the  place 4- 5 minutes after the call, but could not put out the fire  that quickly spread .  The head of the Ministry of Emergency  Situations of Armenia also noted that the causes of the tragedy are  not yet known. ''Today, one version of the accident - a Toyota brand  car collided head-on with a Gazelle, and then another car behind it  rammed the Gazelle, as a result of which a gas leak occurred and a  fire broke out. The firefighters who arrived in time extinguished the  fire from a distance of 5-6 meters, so strong was it already, "  Tsolakyan concluded.

It should be noted that an accident involving three cars, including a  passenger Gazelle, occurred around 3:00 pm on July 6 at 54 km of the  Yerevan-Meghri highway. As a result of an accident, 6 people (1 man  and 5 women), including the driver of the Gazelle, were burned alive  (the body of one woman has not yet been identified), another 11  people were hospitalized. The doctors estimate the condition of the  three passengers of the Gazelle as extremely heavy. A criminal case  on the grounds of Part 3 of Article 242 of the RA Criminal Code has  been opened. The fact of the tragedy is being investigated.