Today is the 33rd anniversary of the Spitak earthquake, the catastrophic tragedy for Armenians at the end of the 20th century. On December 7, 1988, most of the northern settlements of the country were completely destroyed.
Spitak, Leninakan (Gyumri) and Kirovakan (Vanadzor) cities suffered great human and material losses. According to various estimates, 25-35 thousand people died as a result of the disaster, half a million were left homeless, 17% of the housing stock, about 8 million square meters of living space, was out of order.