Kursk commemorates memory of Spitak earthquake victims

PanARMENIAN.Net - Kursk commemorated the memory of Spitak earthquake victims. Armenians of Kursk visited the memorial to fallen soldiers of the Great Patriotic War to lay wreaths in commemoration of 1988 earthquake victims.



"This horror will never be forgotten. There's no family in Armenia, who didn't lose a relative to this disaster," kurskweb.ru cited Stepan Sargsyan, Chairman of Russian Armenians' Union, as saying.



21 years have passed since the devastating Spitak earthquake that shocked Armenia December 7, 1988. At 11.41 a.m. local time a magnitude 10 earthquake destroyed the entire city of Spitak. There was great damage to the nearby cities of Leninakan (now known as Gyumri) and Kirovakan (today Vanadzor) and some 350 surrounding villages.



The earthquake claimed lives of 25 thousand people; some 100 thousand were wounded; over 500 thousand became homeless.



The earthquake was rated among the most crushing calamities of the world.