Shock Condition: Residents Rescued from Windows, Alaverdi Inhabitant Describes Incident

NEWS.am interviewed Alaverdi resident Gohar Apresyan from the Sanahin train station neighborhood, who was trapped in her fourth-floor apartment with her children and was unable to escape until the floodwaters rose.

“It’s been a shocking situation for us since yesterday. The water has receded somewhat, but it has turned into mud. With the help of local guys and rescuers from our building, we managed to get out of the house with great difficulty. We climbed to the village of Odzun, and now we are at my mother’s house with the family. My husband was at work, his car is underwater, and he had to reach Akhtala on foot through the forests. We were at home when the flood started; it intensified within two hours. We didn’t imagine that it could rise to such a level that the first floor would be submerged,” Gohar Apresyan recounted.

Residents were struck by panic after witnessing the flood demolish the houses in front of their building. “The water surged so much that it was decided that everyone must evacuate urgently. In a stressful situation, we tried to escape through the windows. We were on the fourth floor, and the water had risen to a level that posed a risk of building collapse. What was happening yesterday was something we had only seen in movies. It was an unimaginable situation. The most distressing scene was evacuating the elderly,” she added.

It is worth noting that on May 26, heavy rains in the Lori and Tavush regions caused the Debed River to flood. As a result, roads and bridges collapsed, homes and vehicles were submerged, and people were trapped as bridges collapsed. The M-6 interstate road is currently closed to traffic in both directions.

The Debed River’s level rose by 6 meters yesterday, and the 530 mm water pipeline “Alaverdi-Arjiss-Novemberyan” was submerged, causing a disruption in water supply to 16 communities, which has now been restored.

As a result of the flood, there are currently 4 reported fatalities. Reports from the Ministry of Emergency Situations indicate that as of 8:00 AM today, water levels have decreased compared to those observed at 8:00 AM yesterday: a decrease of 105 cm at the Ayroum observation point on the Debed River, 70 cm on the Dzoraget River, 50 cm on the Pambak River, and 57 cm on the Tashir River. Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Gnel Sanosyan stated that the extent of the damage has not yet been assessed, but it is horrifyingly substantial.