  Armenia commemorates Spitak earthquake victimsDecember 7, 2007 - 12:18 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - 19 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. It was rated among the most crushing calamities of the world. By Armenian President's edict, a newly formed state committee was charged with the task to develop a program of events till January 15, 2008. The government was instructed to finance the events dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the earthquake.   Top stories Grigoryan added that the situation around the world and particularly in the region is very difficult. The Armenian Defense Ministry has denied Azerbaijan's accusations of violating the ceasefire. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan took to social media to thank his Lithuanian counterpart for the contribution. President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova.   Partner news |  Related sections Latest news Viva sees growing demand for cloud services  In recent years, medical institutions are starting to make use of Viva’s cloud servicesTurkey replacing term "Central Asia" with "Turkestan" in textbooks The Turkish Ministry of Education is replacing the term "Central Asia" with "Turkestan" in textbooks.Armenian, German presidents meet in Berlin Armenian and German Presidents Vahagn Khachaturyan and Frank-Walter Steinmeier met in Berlin.Armenia assumes presidency of Mediterranean Network of Regulatory Authorities The Commission on Television and Radio of Armenia said it expects productive cooperation in various formats. |
