Mudslide Fills Barns and Drowns Dozens of Lambs: A Shamb Resident

A heavy hailstorm over two days has devastated nearly all crops in the administrative region of Shamb in the Syunik Province. Local resident Sasha Stepanyan spoke to NEWS.am about the destruction.

“All horticultural crops, grains, fruits, and greenhouses have been completely damaged. Everything the farmer has worked for the entire year has gone to waste. The hailstones were larger than eggs. Not a single example of my harvested crop remains,” he said.

According to Stepanyan, not only fruits and vegetables have suffered, but also property and livestock. “The mudslide filled the barns, drowning dozens of lambs, and it also entered homes. Roofs have been damaged, car windows smashed, solar panels destroyed, and asphalt roads have been torn apart and turned into rivers. There isn't a person in the village who hasn't suffered damage. We've never seen hail of this magnitude in our history,” the resident noted.

It was reported that damage assessment activities are being carried out in the village. There are no anti-hail systems operational in the area, and almost all farmers lack insurance.

“We heard that Kerobyan stated that farmers without insurance would not receive compensation, but how can that be? If farmers are not helped, it will be impossible to live in our area this year because people took out million-dollar loans to cultivate crops. Some farmers may not know or understand what to do. How can the state not assist the farmer?” Stepanyan emphasized.