Categories: History

December 7 – Remembrance Day of the Spitak Earthquake’s Victims in Armenia

At 11:41 AM on December 7, 1988, a devastating earthquake nearly razed the Armenian cities of Spitak, Gyumri (Leninakan), and Vanadzor (Kirovakan).

Strong vibrations were felt even in Yerevan more than 100 kilometers away. The earthquake at the epicenter in the village of Nalband had a surface wave magnitude of 6.8.

According to official information, more than 25 thousand people died, 19 thousand became disabled, 530 000 inhabitants were left homeless. The village of Nalband has gone under the ground.

On these days, Armenia became the epicenter of global unity: doctors and rescuers from all over the world – from France, Switzerland, the UK, Germany, the US – arrived here. More than a hundred states provided the Armenian people with humanitarian aid.

The Spitak earthquake was one of the most devastating earthquakes of the 20th century.

Armenia quake 1988

Vigen Avetisyan

Recent Posts

Armenian Orphan Girls in New York (1917): A Forgotten Act of Witness and Relief

In 1917, at the height of global upheaval during World War I, a small but…

4 days ago

The Armenian Genocide: State Crime, Mass Participation, and the Burden of Historical Responsibility

The Armenian Genocide (1915–1921 ...) was not an accident of war, nor a tragic byproduct…

1 week ago

The First Printed Armenian Bible (Amsterdam, 1666–1668)

Introduction The first printed edition of the Bible in the Armenian language stands as one…

2 weeks ago

Armenopolis (Gherla): An Armenian “Ideal City” in the Heart of Europe

Armenopolis (modern-day Gherla, Romania) is a remarkable example of how the Armenian diaspora not only…

2 weeks ago

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia

Regarding the Remarks of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group at the Permanent Council…

2 months ago

The Armenian Genetic Code: An 8,000-Year Unbroken Journey

While empires rose and fell and borders shifted across millennia, one remarkable constant has endured:…

3 months ago