Armenian police officers have launched a criminal investigation after the bodies of three people were discovered inside a burned-out vehicle on the Yerevan-Yerask highway in the country's Ararat Province.

The incident occurred on June 29 near the village of Surenavan, where firefighters responded to a vehicle fire, The Caspian Post reports via Sputnik Armenia.

After extinguishing the flames, emergency responders found three partially charred bodies inside a Nissan Rogue.

Police officers and investigators also arrived at the scene to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The police have opened a criminal case and are working to determine the identities of the victims, while the cause of the fire and the circumstances leading to the deaths remain under investigation.