Flood Victim Died on His 39th Birthday; He Had Two Minor Children

The flood victim, Saribek Balyan, was from the village of Dghdzavan in the Noyemberyan community. He was the father of two minor children. This was reported to NEWS.am by the mayor of Dghdzavan, Yurik Hovhannisyan.

Balyan died while returning home from work. "He passed away on his 39th birthday. There were three people in the car, two managed to get out, but he did not," Hovhannisyan said.

It is recalled that on May 26, heavy rains in the Lori and Tavush regions caused the Debed River to overflow. As a result, roads, bridges collapsed, houses and cars were submerged, people were trapped, and bridges were destroyed. This incident prompted the closure of the M-6 interstate road in both directions.

Yesterday, the Debed River's level rose by 6 meters, and the 530 mm water pipeline connecting Alaverdi-Arjish-Noyemberyan was submerged, leading to the suspension of water supply for 16 communities, although it has since been restored.

As of now, there are four reported fatalities due to the floods. Reports from the Ministry of Emergency Situations indicate that as of 08:00 today, there has been a decrease in water levels compared to those observed at 08:00 yesterday: the Ayrium observation point of the Debed River saw a decrease of 105 cm, the Dzoraget River by 70 cm, the Pambak River by 50 cm, and the Tashir River by 57 cm.

The Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, Gnel Sanosyan, stated that the extent of the damage has not yet been assessed, but it is expected to be significantly severe.