ArmInfo.May December 7 be not only a day of mourning, but also a day of pride and hope for Armenia. The Ambassador of France to Armenia Jonathan Lacote wrote about this on his Facebook page.
At the same time, the diplomat posted an old photo depicting a little girl staring at the sky against the background of a city destroyed by an earthquake.
"On December 7, 1988 at 11:41 am the earth shook from Spitak to Leninakan. I remember with warmth those who, during my stay in Armenia agreed to share with me the memory of that day when one minute they lost everyone who was dear to them. Today I admire their strength that allowed them to stand up and continue life. Let December 7 be a day of mourning, it will also become a day of pride and hope for Armenia," the French diplomat wrote. Exactly 32 years old at 10 hours 41 minutes Moscow time (11:41 local time) on December 7, 1988, a catastrophic earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8-7.2 occurred. A series of tremors 30 seconds before the foundation destroyed the city of Spitak and 58 villages; the cities of Leninakan (now Gyumri), Stepanavan, Kirovakan (now Vanadzor) - only 21 cities, and more than 300 settlements were partially destroyed. The earthquake disabled about 40 percent of the industrial potential of the Armenian SSR. As a result of the natural disaster, more than 25 thousand people died, 140 thousand became disabled, and 514 thousand people lost their homes, the country suffered so much damage. The consequences of this earthquake have not yet been overcome.