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1988 earthquake still rattles many people
Twenty-four years, at 11:41 a.m., 40 percent of Armenia's territory turned into a disaster zone in a matter of seconds. A disastrous earthquake measuring 10 rattled Armenia on December 7, 1988, leveling numerous towns and villages. Spitak, Leninakan, Stepanavan, and Kirovakan were among those most affected. Twenty-one towns and 342 villages were destructed, 514 thousand people were left without shelter, 20 thousand people were injured and 12500 people were hospitalized. The number of victims totaled 25 000. The only consolation for their relatives was removing the bodies under the ruins and burying them.
The term ‘disaster zone/area' entered our vocabulary after the 1988 earthquake.
