Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the 1988 Earthquake in Armenia (07/12)

December 7 in Armenia is officially celebrated as the Day of Remembrance of Earthquake Victims, based on the law «On holidays and memorable days of the Republic of Armenia», adopted on July 24, 2001.

On December 7, 1988, the whole world learned about a terrible tragedy when an entire city was destroyed, and tens of thousands of residents died under its ruins. The city of Spitak completely turned into ruins, Leninakan and Kirovakan and other cities and villages of Armenia were half destroyed.

Earthquake of 1988, which is also known as the Spitak earthquake (arm. The արրարարարու) caused great damage to the republic’s economy. It covered more than 40% of the republic's territory. 21 towns and districts were affected, 342 villages, 58 of which were completely destroyed. The total damage to the republic's economy from the earthquake is estimated at about 10 billion Soviet rubles.

The Armenian Highlands has more than 600 large and small volcanic centers, being one of the seismically active centers of the earth. In other words, earthquakes are very common in Armenia. Over the past 1,500 years, more than 300 earthquakes have occurred in the Armenian Highlands.

A powerful movement was launched in the USSR to provide assistance to victims of the Spitak earthquake. All the republics that were part of the Soviet Union responded to the disaster by sending rescue teams, ambulances, people, equipment, and everything necessary to the scene of the tragedy.

Every year on December 7, victims of the 1988 earthquake are commemorated in Armenia; many high-ranking figures in the country visit Gyumri (formerly Leninakan) and lay flowers at the Memorial to the Earthquake Victims. And also on this day, memorial services for the victims are held in Armenian churches around the world.



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