After four people were injured when an amusement park ride crashed Sunday in Yerevan’s Victory Park, an investigation revealed that most such thrill rides are not properly registered in Armenia. Such rides should be registered with the National Center for Technical Security of the RA Ministry of Emergency Situations, but most are not. The attractions have not undergone inspection and in fact such an inspection body does not exist.

The “Typhoon” ride that malfunctioned, seriously injuring two riders, was examined by Teg company, against which a criminal case has been filed.

“Typhoon was put into operation a month ago, it was planned by an unlicensed organization, by an individual, and it was installed illegally,” Vladimir Hovsepyan, Head of the Technical Security Service of Yerevan.
Hovsepyan says that soon check-ups of all such attractions in Yerevan will be held.

According to Ashot Petrosyan, Head of the National Center for Technical Safety of the RA Ministry of Emergency Situations, each park or company is responsible for its own safety regulations. “They have to have someone or an organization responsible for the fulfillment of these functions,” says Petrosyan.

According to the RA Ministry of Emergency Situations, currently there are 47 amusement rides registered in Yerevan (though more exist) and only 13 of them have undergone a technical examination. None of the rides in other towns of Armenia have undergone inspection.

Petrosyan says that besides the National Center for Technical Safety, there are three accredited companies in Armenia, which can determine whether rides are safe.

Nikolay Grigoryan, head of the public relations department at the RA Ministry of Emergency Situations, says that the poor situation in the attractions’ examination and control sphere is the result of a legislative shortcoming.

“There is no such organization which implements control and checking, as well as realizes disclosure of non-registered facilities which have not undergone an examination,” Grigoryan says.