Emergency Situation: Strong Winds Completely Ripped Off the Roof of Artashar Village School, Toppled Trees and Power Poles

Today, on May 23, an emergency situation has arisen in the Armavir region of Artashar village. According to photojournalist Gagik Shamshyan, around 7:00 PM, due to a storm, the roof of the village's secondary two-story school was completely torn off and thrown approximately 150 meters away, also damaging the roof of a residential building and a barn belonging to a local resident.

As a result, power poles have been toppled and electrical wires have been severed. The village is completely without electricity.

The principal of Artashar village secondary school, Edgar Sargsyan, told the photojournalist, “It was around 7 PM when this disaster happened. In a matter of seconds, the storm ripped off the school’s roof and threw it away. Fortunately, there are no casualties, but the school, built in 1980 and serving 191 students, has suffered significant material damage. Both the school and the village administration do not have sufficient resources to rebuild the roof from scratch. The village mayor has already informed the Armavir regional administration, and we hope that the regional administration and the government will lend a helping hand to the village’s educational institution. Otherwise, if the issue is not resolved quickly, along with the rains, the school will become hazardous.”

Elderly villagers said, “The village has a 300-year history, and as far as we can remember, such an incident has never occurred here. Nature was angry and, in moments, it did its dark deed. The government should at least help and quickly repair the school’s roof. Otherwise, if the school is abandoned, where will we take the children for classes?”