Today marks the 31st anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Armenia in 1988

30 years ago on this day, December 7, 1988, a major disaster struck Armenia. At 11:41:22 local time, a devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 10 occurred in an area covering about 40 percent of Armenia. Within moments, the cities of Spitak, Leninakan, Kirovakan, Stepanavan, as well as over a hundred villages and settlements in the regions of Spitak, Akhuryan, Gugark, Aragats, Kalinino, and Stepanavan were completely or partially destroyed.

More than 25,000 people lost their lives, and 500,000 were left homeless. Approximately 17 percent of the housing stock went out of commission, amounting to around 8 million square meters of living space. Over 230 industrial facilities were fully or partially destroyed, resulting in a loss of 82,000 jobs. The damage to the Armenian economy was estimated at 13 billion rubles.

The day after the earthquake, a special commission led by Nikolai Ryzhkov, chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, arrived in Armenia. More than 113 countries and 7 international organizations provided comprehensive assistance to Armenia.

This year, the government has allocated 3 billion drams to address issues related to the disaster area. The government plans to resolve the housing problems of 227 families who were left homeless due to the earthquake with this funding.