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.