This terrible earthquake began December 7, 1988 at 11 noon.Seismic stations in Armenia and other neighboring countries there were several aftershocks destructive power.Not having time to realize what is happening, the Armenian capital lost telephone communication with Spitak, Leninakan and other cities and towns of the republic.In an instant, silent almost the entire northern part of Armenia - 40% of the whole country with a million people.
But after 7 minutes after the earthquake, the air suddenly appeared a military radio station through which openly Sergeant Ksenofontov Alexander said that the population of Leninakan extra urgent medical care is required, as the city has undergone a very big damage, resulting in too many wounded and dead.It sounded like a bad signal SOS!
As during the Chernobyl disaster, the government remained silent for a long time.They are, as always, pretended to try to comprehend what is happening and take the right steps, and, realizing the scale of the disaster, would not be aware of his helplessness.But the trouble is no waiting for their judgment: this time it was necessary as quickly as possible to help the victims, assorted debris and save nearly living.
In addition, the street was winter, and thousands of people were left without shelter, clothing, water and food.And just imagine that only in the evening poor radio message alerted that in the morning there was an earthquake in Armenia.Why meager?Because it did not hear a single word about the scale of the disaster, or the approximate number of dead and wounded.
Yet it must be acknowledged that the airplane, together with surgeons and medical supplies on board took off on the same day from the airport "Vnukovo".Peres helicopter in Yerevan and by the evening the team was in Leninakan.Fully appreciate and understand the scale of the disaster could have arrived only in the morning when the first rays of the sun went over the ruins and dead bodies.It was plowed, broken as if someone tried to hand her a huge mixed city to the ground.Leninakan was no more - instead - the ruins and corpses.
nearby villages and small towns were also hit by the quake.Everywhere one could see only a pile of rubble and walls with empty eye sockets of windows.It was only the next day after the earthquake in Armenia in 1988 destroyed part of the country began arriving helicopters and planes with things essentials.The wounded were taken from Leninakan and sent to Yerevan hospitals.
help Armenia if it's a lot of Soviet republics.It arrived about 50 thousand builders and dozens of doctors.On that terrible month media did not give data on the number of victims in Armenia.Only 3 months later the Council of Ministers gave journalists the official statistics, which stated that the incident earthquake in Armenia in 1988 destroyed 21 cities, 350 towns, 58 of which were completely destroyed and became uninhabitable.Fatalities have counted more than 250 thousand people and as many wounded.Destroyed were more than 17% of the total housing stock of the country, of whom 280 schools, 250 hospitals, hundreds of pre-school institutions and 200 enterprises proved to be unsuitable for use.In the end, 500 thousand people were left homeless.
should be noted that aside from the tragedy and left Mother Teresa, which is world famous for his charity.She periodically brought home clothes and medicines needed to save people caught in this terrible disaster.
But restoring fraternal Armenia negatively affected the collapse of the Soviet Union, so that the construction was gradually subside.As a result, the once flourishing region of Armenia turned into a desert zone: Hundreds of thousands of people left those places, leaving debris and bitter memories in its native "houses."
earthquake in Armenia reminds of itself, its ruins, a dozen years, and even now the country has not fully recovered from the effects of the tragedy.Until now about 18 thousand people still live in makeshift wooden completely lost faith in the fact that the government has not forgotten about them.
