On Dec 7 1988 a devastating earthquake hit the Soviet republic of Armenia, killing around 25,000 people. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. Five tonnes of clothes have already been collected by Aid Armenia based in Britain. At approximately 11:41 am on December 7th, 1988, the Soviet Socialist Republic of Armenia was hit by a devastating earthquake. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian has addressed a message on the 32nd anniversary of the 1988 earthquake, the Presidential Office told Armenpress. Ocean’s Eleven was a remake of the 1960 film of the same name, which featured so-called ...read more, Colin Ferguson opens fire on a Long Island Rail Road commuter train from New York City, killing 6 and injuring 19. image caption The … It measured 6.9 on the Richter scale and affected an area 80 kilometres in diameter. On December 7, 1988, an earthquake of magnitude 6.9 suddenly struck over 40 percent of the territory of Armenia while it was still part of the USSR, three years before it … PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia is commemorating the 32nd anniversary of the devastating earthquake that hit the northwestern regions of the country on December 7, 1988… Here's what really happened with the earthquake in Armenia. Nicogossian AE(1), Doarn CR. A major earthquake devastated the Armenian Republic of the Soviet Union on December 7, 1988, resulting in thousands of deaths and injuries. • February 20 – The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast votes to secede from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic and join the Armenian SSR, triggering the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. © 2020 A&E Television Networks, LLC. On 7 December 1988 a colossal earthquake hit Armenia, leading to the deaths of 20,000 people. Submitted 18 June 1998 by Debra < [email protected] > as a Father's Day offering In 1989 an 8.2 earthquake almost flattened Armenia, killing over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. The 1988 earthquake in Armenia is unique in some ways. The epicenter was not far below the surface, which accounts in part for the terrible destruction. Its epicenter was close to the town of Shirakamut, located in the north of Armenia between the cities of Spitak and Gyumri. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Also, only four minutes later, the 5.8-magnitude tremor struck nearby, collapsing buildings that had barely managed to hold during the first quake. As the 25th anniversary of the Armenian Earthquake approaches, she offers us a story of disaster and relief at the end of the Cold War. 1988: Death toll rises in Armenian earthquake. A dreadful earthquake struck a densely populated region of Armenia on December 7, 1988. Rescue work is currently still concentrating on finding any survivors, but hope is waning in Armenia which borders Turkey and Azerbaijan. Hindman assembled a force at ...read more. The Armenian Earthquake of 1988 Armenia, framed by the peaks of the Lesser Spitak, a town of 25,000 inhabitants, has been completely destroyed and cannot be rebuilt - a new city will have to be built over the wreckage. Spitak experienced near total destruction. India has sent clothes and blankets while Britain is transporting excavating equipment. Transcript for Dec. 8, 1988: Earthquake in Armenia This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate. It struck three days ago at 1141 local time when children were at school and most people at work. A major earthquake devastated the Armenian Republic of the Soviet Union on December 7, 1988, resulting in thousands of deaths and injuries. In Leninakan, Armenia’s second largest city with close to 300,000 residents, about 80 percent of the buildings failed to stand. “Despite the fact that all necessary measures are being taken … Mikhail Gorbachev believes that when … In all, 111 countries, 7 international organizations, and 53 national chapters of the Red Cross provided help to Armenia. Beginning with late 1987 the Caucasus region was experiencing a surge in political turmoil with large and near constant demonstrations being held in the capital of Yerevan beginning in February 1988. Most of the structures in the city were either cheaply constructed or had brick or stone roofs and nearly all collapsed from the shaking. These victims often experienced kidney problems following the trauma and died when local health officials were not equipped to treat them. Other train passengers stopped the perpetrator by tackling and holding him down. The two tremors, only minutes apart, were measured at 6.9 and 5.8 in magnitude and were felt as far away as Georgia, Turkey and Iran. Twelve thousand families remain displaced as a result of the earthquake after new cities, started by Moscow in 1989, have remained half-built. Up to 45,000 people have died and a further 500,000 are homeless after the devastating earthquake which ripped through Armenia, official figures revealed today. Author information: (1)Center for the Study of International Medical Policies and Practices, School of Public Policy, George Mason University, Arlington, Virginia 22201, USA. (December 7, 1988) Earthquakes have frequently hit Armenia throughout history. victims of the Armenian earthquake was announced at the plenary session of the meeting of the Ameri can Society of Nephrology in San Antonio, and of the December 16, 1988, issue illustrating the continued front page coverage 10 days after the earthquake. Leonard became a sensation in the boxing world during the 1980s, providing a superstar presence that boxing lacked after ...read more, At 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, a Japanese dive bomber bearing the red symbol of the Rising Sun of Japan on its wings appears out of the clouds above the island of Oahu. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/earthquakes-wreak-havoc-in-armenia. 1988: Death toll rises in Armenian earthquake, 1961: Apartheid attacked at Nobel ceremony. Witness speaks to Anahit Karapetian who was trapped for hours under the rubble of her school. On 7 December 1988, Armenia was hit by a devastating earthquake. The Soviet Union has made an appeal for medical aid requesting, in particular, blood transfusion equipment and dialysis machines. This disaster produced an unprecedented worldwide response to its traumatic consequences. Colin Ferguson was a mentally ill man from Jamaica who spent years on the West Coast ...read more, On December 7, 1862, northwestern Arkansas and southwestern Missouri are secured for the Union when a force commanded by General James G. Blunt holds off a force of Confederates under General Thomas Hindman at the Battle of Prairie Grove, Arkansas. Prague, 17 March 1998 (RFE/RL) -- Nearly ten years ago, on December 7, 1988, a massive earthquake rocked northwestern Armenia, killing some 50,000 inhabitants. Armenia 1988 earthquake and telemedicine: lessons learned and forgotten. The 1988 Armenian Earthquake. At 11.41 am on December 7th 1988 an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter Scale struck the Soviet Republic of Armenia. The 1988 Armenian earthquake, also known as the Spitak earthquake (Սպիտակի երկրաշարժ, Spitaki yerkrasharj), occurred on December 7 at 11:41 local time with a surface wave magnitude of 6.8 and a maximum MSK intensity of X (Devastating). MOSCOW (Panorama.am) — Moscow’s Maxim Gorky Art Academic Theater hosted on Wednesday, 28, a commemorative event dedicated to the 1988 devastating Armenian earthquake, also known as the Spitak earthquake. The goal is to provide permanent housing to those still displaced by the earthquake while restoring the original city centres. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. The last survivor was pulled out from under rubble on December 15. Soviet Armenia had three major quakes in the first fifty years of existence in Leninakan (1926) and Zangezur (1931 and 1968). America is sending medical aid and sniffer dogs capable of detecting survivors. The New Website Presents Stories from the 1988 Armenian Earthquake and Beyond. On December 7, 1989, the boxer Sugar Ray Leonard triumphs over a lackluster Roberto Duran in a unanimous 12-round decision at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. The Portuguese departed East Timor in August 1975, and Indonesian troops soon began infiltrating the border from ...read more, The first execution by lethal injection takes place at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. Two earthquakes hit Armenia on December 7, 1988, killing 60,000 people and destroying nearly half a million buildings. A project by the Urban Institute, policy researchers, along with its partners, the Institute for Urban Economics in Moscow and the American University of Armenia, is underway to resolve this. It was 11:41 a.m. when the first, more powerful, earthquake hit three miles from Spitak, a city of about 30,000, and 20 miles northwest of Kirovakan. Two circumstantial events focused unprecedented world attention on this natural disaster. Charles Brooks, Jr., convicted of murdering an auto mechanic, received an intravenous injection of sodium pentathol, the barbiturate that is known as a “truth serum” when ...read more, On December 7, 1941, at around 1:30 p.m., President Franklin Roosevelt is conferring with advisor Harry Hopkins in his study when Navy Secretary Frank Knox bursts in and announces that Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor. 21 It is fair to conclude then that the Armenian earthquake of 1988 and its attendant circumstances was a milestone in the evolution of nephrology, … A total of 189 such individuals were identified through neighbourhoodpolyclinics in the city of Leninakan and 159 noninjured controls were selected from the same neighbourhoods. Armenian earthquake of 7 December 1988. STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 7, ARTSAKHPRESS: At 11:41 on that day, the northern regions of the Armenian SSR were shocked by a devastating earthquake, which was named after the epicenter as the Spitak earthquake. In the final month of 1988, Armenia was struck by an earthquake that absolutely devastated the northern region of the country and displaced hundreds of thousands of people, throwing many into housing insecurity that's lasted over 30 years. Now Playing: ABC News Live Prime: Friday, December 11, 2020 Having spied the Pacific Ocean for the first time a few weeks earlier, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark cross to the south shore of the Columbia River (near modern-day Astoria) and begin building the small fort that would be their winter home. An eight-mile rupture of the earth—several feet wide in spots—was later found to have been caused by the quakes. For the 30th anniversary of the 1988 Armenian earthquake, a group of Peace Corps Volunteers together with Armenian volunteers have initiated a project called Story Beyond the Ruins. In fact, 10 days after the quakes, all foreigners were ordered out. Dogs sent by France alerted aid workers to 60 people buried alive under the rubble yesterday. The Soviet Union declared today a national day of mourning as the death toll rose and President Gorbachev toured the cities devastated by the earthquake. The temblor destroyed cities and is estimated to have killed between 25,000 and … image caption On 7 December 1988 a devastating earthquake in northern Armenia killed 25,000 and left hundreds of thousands homeless in the Soviet republic. Gorbachevcut short his trip to fly back to Moscow. The city of Leninakan, with 290,000 inhabitants, and the towns of Stepanavan and Kirovakan in the northern area of Armenia, were also hit by the earthquake. With most of Armenia covered in high-rise buildings the consequences have been devastating. Those rescuers who were able to enter worked for over a week trying to find survivors. The 1988 Armenian earthquake, also known as the Spitak earthquake, occurred on December 7 at 11:41 local time with a surface wave magnitude of 6.8 and a maximum MSK intensity of X. A standardized interview questionnaire was used. “In the Armenian Republic, thousands of people have died,” Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze said at a news conference on Dec. 8, 1988. The final number of people who died reached 25,000. It left more than 25,000 people dead, over 15,000 wounded needing urgent care, and more than half a million homeless. Two earthquakes hit Armenia on December 7, 1988, killing 60,000 people and destroying nearly half a million buildings. What began in December of 1988 as a Belgian Rescue Team has been nurtured into a sustained and systematic effort to provide medical, technical, and administrative education for Armenian health care providers to patients with kidney failure. Worse still, officials (controlled by the Soviet government at the time) delayed giving permission for rescuers and relief workers to enter the area. Gorbachev was asleep in a New York hotel when the quake hit. The former Soviet Union came under heavy criticism for failing to co-ordinate rescue work and acting promptly - revealing it had no contingency plans for any disasters. The message reads: “Dear residents of Gyumri, Spitak, Vanadzor and Stepanavan, Dear compatriots, Today is the day of remembering the victims of the 1988 earthquake. On December 7, 1988, an earthquake shattered the north of Soviet Armenia. Cases and controls shared But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! When rebuilding began in subsequent years, more attention was paid to using appropriate construction materials and putting height limits on buildings. The shock occurred in the northern region of Armenia which is vulnerable to large and destructive earthquakes and is part of a larger active seismic belt that stretches from the Alps to the Himalayas. All Rights Reserved. A Father's Promise An All-Creatures Spiritual Archives Story from All-Creatures.org A Father's Promise. The attack killed more than 2,400 naval and military ...read more. He learned of the quake via a telegram from British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher describing the situation, conveying sympathy and offering aid. Lewis, Clark, and their men ...read more, Ocean’s Eleven, a caper film featuring an all-star ensemble cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia and Julia Roberts, opens in theaters. Less than four months before, the Constitution was signed by 37 of the original 55 ...read more, Early in the morning, Indonesian forces launch a massive invasion of the former Portuguese half of the island of Timor, which lies near Australia in the Timor Sea. The sheer scale of destruction overwhelmed the country’s ability to respond. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. All principal determinants of structural damage and crush injury converged to magnify the dreadful outcomes of this otherwise modest earthquake, which registered 6.9 on the Richter scale. anicogos@gmu.edu A swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes followed, descending on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in a ferocious ...read more, In Dover, Delaware, the U.S. Constitution is unanimously ratified by all 30 delegates to the Delaware Constitutional Convention, making Delaware the first state of the modern United States. Within a matter of seconds, the second and third largest cities of Gyumri and Vanadzor (Leninakan and Kirovakan at the time), the town of Spitak and settlements in the Akhuryan, … The scale of the destruction has brought criticism the infrastructure was substandard, prompting Soviet authorities to pledge Spitak will be rebuilt with blocks no more than five storeys high. The disaster has led to an unprecedented level of openness by the Soviet authorities as they struggle to cope with the devastation. Anna Hakobyan, the spouse of Armenia’s Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, National Hero of Armenia Nikolai Ryzhkov, Primate of the Russian and New Nakhichevan … Many experts believe that the death toll may have far exceeded the initial 60,000 estimate in part because thousands of people experienced crushing injuries during the quake. In 1988, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck near the northern Armenian city of Spitak. For the fifteen months prior to the earthquake and at times up to hundreds of thousands of protesters, represented by the Karabakh Committee, were demanding both democracy and the unification of Nagorno-Karabakh (administered by Soviet Azerbaijan but disputed autonomous territory with an 80% A… Last survivor was pulled out from under rubble on December 7th, 1988, killing around people... 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