18 Years Passed since Devastating Spitak EarthquakeDecember 7, 2006 - 13:02 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - 18 years have passed since the devastating Spitak earthquake. December 7, 1988 at 11.4 a.m. local time a severe earthquake demolished several towns and over 300 villages. About 25 thousand people died, 140 thousand were injured and over a million became homeless. Tremors ruined Spitak, Kirovakan (Vanadzor), Leninakan (Gyumri) and Stepanavan. The calamity zone covered some 30 thousand square km; tremors were felt in Yerevan and Tbilisi. Experts say the energy outburst in the epicenter was equivalent to explosion of 10 atomic bombs thrown at Hiroshima.Today Armenian President Robert Kocharian and other officials will visit Gyumri and lay wreaths to the Memorial to the earthquake victims. Top stories The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering. Michael Roth believes sanctions must be put on the table after Baku‘s ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Yerevan City Council has elected Tigran Avniyan from the ruling Civil Contract as the mayor of the Armenian capital. The Armenian Parliament on Tuesday, October 3 voted to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Partner news | European Parliament to discuss repression in Azerbaijan The European Parliament will discuss repression of civil society in Azerbaijan on April 24 PACE wants concessions from Azerbaijan to accept Baku back A PACE co-rapporteur said that Azerbaijani authorities must make certain concessions so that the country can return to PACE. Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). |