Copyright Information: All images are in the public domain and available for free. If you use this image, credit NOAA/NGDC, C.J. Langer, U.S. Geological Survey. |
This is the five-story communications building in Spitak. It is a pre-cast, concrete-frame composite structure. A portion of the frame is still standing on the back side of the building. The corner of the building that remains standing was further destroyed by fire that spread between floors following the earthquake. Pre-cast frame buildings were common in this area. These buildings had floor construction of individual hollow-core precast planks with no (or inadequate) connections between them to tie the floors together. This lack of adequate floor ties allowed the middle portions of buildings to collapse while the ends remained standing. Many of these structures collapsed contributing to the high death toll. Image Credit: C.J. Langer. U.S. Geological Survey December 7, 1988 Leninakan-Spitak-Kirovakan Armenia earthquake The magnitude 6.9 earthquake shook northwestern Armenia, and was followed four minutes later by a magnitude 5.8 aftershock. The earthquakes affected an area 80 kilometers in diameter. This set includes damage photographs taken in and around the devastated cities of Spitak and Leninakan, where 25,000 deaths occurred. Location: Northwestern Armenian SSR, 18 kilometers north northwest of Spitak. Damage: $14.2 billion. Fifteen thousand were injured and 517,000 lost their homes. The death toll (25,000) could have been much worse had it not been for the heroic rescue of 15,000 who were pulled from the rubble. Event Data:
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