Search-and-rescue teams were still working at the scene several hours after the explosion that destroyed a section of the four-story building.
According to the Armenian Health Ministry, three of the injured persons were in a serious condition and were transferred to hospitals in Yerevan. The others, among them four children, received necessary treatment in a local hospital.
“According to preliminary data, the accident in Chambarak was the result of a gas explosion,” Martun Simonian, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
Armenia’s Investigative Committee, said later in the day that the deadly blast was most probably caused by a gas leak. It said it has launched a criminal investigation into “performance of works or provision of services that do not meet safety requirements.” The law-enforcement agency did not report any arrests.
The authorities also pledged to help the local residents affected by the blast with food, medication and shelter. It was not immediately clear how many of them lost their homes.