QURHGON TEPPA, March 14, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- A total damage caused to Qurghon Teppa’s central bazaar, Farovon, by yesterday’s fire has been estimated at some 312,000 somoni.

Haidar Sherkhonov, deputy director of the Farovon bazaar, told reporters Tuesday afternoon, that the fire that broke out at the bazaar in the early morning of March 13 destroyed 83 shops.  “We have asked merchants whose shops were destroyed by the fire and assessed the approximate damage.  It has amounted to 312,000 somoni, including 110,000 somoni damage caused by the fire to the building,” Sherkhonov noted.

Meanwhile, one of merchants who ran perfumer''s shop at the Farovon bazaar told Asia-Plus yesterday afternoon that his shop had been burned to the ground.  “The amount of losses is some 40,000 U.S. dollars (equivalent to 193,200 somoni),” he said.

An official source at the Qurghon Teppa police department noted Tuesday afternoon that they received a call of the fire at the Farovon Bazaar at 11:30 am.  “Practically all officers from the Qurghon Teppa police department as well as officers from the police station in the Bokhtar district were involved in extinguishing the fire,” he said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.  A special commission has been set up to assess the actual damage caused to the bazaar by the fire.