VIDEO: "I've seen what I wouldn't want anyone to see" - Director of the Jermuk Ropeway Shares Details

"I've seen what I wouldn't want anyone to see," says Armen Tadevosyan, the director of Jermuk's community ropeway, during a conversation with a reporter from Aravot, recalling the night of September 12 to 13.

The ropeway is community-owned. Armen Tadevosyan mentions that it typically receives between 25,000 to 35,000 visitors. When people visit Jermuk, they also visit the ropeway, the waterfall, and the drinking hall. According to him, that day, during the day, there were many foreigners at the ropeway: "Fortunately, we didn't have customers in the restaurants. It was a Monday, a bit lighter; people were relaxing. We didn't have anyone that day, otherwise, it would have been awful."

Armen Tadevosyan recounts that they closed the ropeway at midnight. When they started moving, the first blow struck the ropeway: "My employee survived because of a game. He couldn't have survived 100 percent because everything is recorded by our cameras at slowed frames. The first hit was specifically to the ropeway. I don’t know why. It hit the middle of the support pillars. After that, it hit our military unit, the military warehouses, and all nearby areas of the city. The second hit was again to the ropeway, mostly with pauses. You can see the traces left behind. Specifically, the ropeway was shelled with large-caliber mortars. There was 'Grad', mortars, and aerial devices in the city."

He is confident that the ropeway was targeted: "Probably, thinking of it as strategically significant. We have a height, and you see, it was built just for skiing. But the Turks think of it as a strategic, dangerous object. From the top of the ropeway, you can see the entire area they have invaded at this moment." Armen Tadevosyan noted that they have not yet been allowed to go up to see the damage caused, as there are still unexploded ordnances.

Speaking of the figures, Armen Tadevosyan said that if the support columns and the cable are damaged, the minimum damage would amount to $200,000. And the damage below is approximately 50,000 euros. "God willing, everything calms down, we will continue to work," reassured the director.

For more details, refer to the original source.