In the wake of the March 25 fire that broke out at Zimnyaya Vishnya Mall in Kemerovo Oblast, a Holy Mass was served at the local Armenian church for the souls of the Armenian victims of the fire to rest in peace, reported Head of the Office of the Union of Armenians of Russia in Kemerovo Georgy Antonov-Mirzakhanyan.

“A Holy Mass was served for the souls of the Armenian victims at the local Armenian church today and ended a short while ago. There were local Armenians, and partners and people were expressing their solidarity,” Georgy Antonov-Mirzakhanyan said.

He informed that the local Armenians are united around the victims’ families and are doing their best to provide support.

Earlier, Georgy Antonov-Mirzakhanyan had informed that the Armenian victims are a father and son, but with Russian last names (Dmitry Galanin and Mikhail Galanin). The father was born in 1975, and the son — in 2008.

“They are considered Russians according to their passports, but Dmitry’s father is Sargis Khumaryan, who is originally from Akhaltskha. They are Georgian-Armenians. Since Sargis Khumaryan was separated from his wife, the son’s last name was Galanin, and so Dmitry’s son also has the last name Galanin,” he said.

In an interview with currenttime.tv, Sargis Khumaryan said that he had not been shown his son’s body and recognized the son through other items, including a cross, a ring and a watch. According to Khumaryan, the fire at the mall was so powerful that it seemed as though a thermal nuclear bomb had exploded.