In Vanadzor, Armenia, National Assembly (NA) Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan today participated in the commemoration of the victims of the 1988 earthquake.

"On December 7, I participated, at the Surb Mariam Astvatsatsin [St. Mary Mother of God] Church of Vanadzor, in the commemoration of the 1988 earthquake victims, and laid flowers to the monument dedicated to the earthquake victims," the NA Speaker wrote on his Facebook page.

One of the most brutal tragedies in modern Armenian history took place on December 7, 1988. At 11:41am that day, the northern regions of the then Armenian SSR were shaken by a devastating earthquake. More than 25,000 people were killed, tens of thousands were injured, and hundreds of thousands were left homeless.