Video: 'Earthquake In Armenia 1988'

(Wednesday, December 7, 1988, 11:41:27 a.m. Armenia Time) — At least 25,000 people were killed today when the 1988 Armenian earthquake, also known as the Spitak earthquake, struck with a surface wave magnitude of 6.8 and a maximum MSK intensity of X (Devastating).

The shock occurred in the northern region of Armenia (then part of the Soviet Union) 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.

Between 25,000 and 50,000 were killed and up to 130,000 were injured.