ArmeniaNow.com - Independent Journalism From Today's Armenia
April 09, 2004


Sad Site: Funicular car that killed five remains in yard of shocked family


Fifteen year old Roma Zakaryan gives interviews several times a day, meeting journalists, police officers, municipality officials in the yard of his house, which became a site of tragedy last week. Last Friday afternoon a funicular car fell some 20 meters from its cable above the Zakaryan home, and landed in their yard. Three people died immediately and two later in hospital. Four passengers remain in hospital with fractures and head injuries.
The Zakaryan family yard has become a death scene

Yerevan municipality has set up a special commission to investigate the incident. But, a week after children saw three killed in their yard, authorities have neither removed nor covered the wreckage. The crashed car is still in the yard, with the broken trees and destroyed stone fence the car broke when it landed.

According to the preliminary investigation the accident happened because the car broke away from its cable. Officials say that the investigation is ongoing and the exact reasons will be clear in the coming week.

While authorities refrain from mentioning those who may be accountable for the incident, the Zakaryan yard has become a scene of tragic sightseeing.

The nine-member family say they have not recovered from what they saw when the car crashed some 10 meters from their house. Children, who might otherwise have been playing in the yard, were inside when the car fell.

“I am scared to think what if my uncles’ children and their friends, our neighbors, who usually come to play at our place, were in the yard that day,” Roma says. “Usually they play just right here (showing the place where the car landed) but fortunately on that day they stayed at home because it was cold outside.”

Roma and a friend were inside the house when his grandmother yelled out that the funicular was falling.

“In a few seconds I heard the shocking sound of the crashing car and ran out of the house,” Roma says.

Roma and his neighbor Armen who were the first to see the crashed car says they were stunned for several minutes, until they realized what happened.

“People were pressed by the debris; they were all in blood so that we could not see their faces. They did not move as if they all were dead. We were taking them out of the car and putting them near on the ground. I wonder how we did not panic. We were thinking only about helping them.” Roma said.

Armen’s mother, Sveta Ter-Ghukasyan said all the residents were shocked, especially her son and Roma.

“Armen is so scared that he can not sleep at night,” she says. “No one even thought to send psychologists to help the boys.”

A funicular car that killed five last week is still in the yard where children play.

Some residents say they were expecting an accident, because for some time they have heard a sound of grinding metal as the cars pass overhead.

But resident Mariam Zakaryan assures that the funicular specialist regularly visits their yard to make checks of the railway system and to inspect cables.

Another resident Bella Simonyan says whatever the reasons were and regardless if the funicular is completely repaired, she would never allow her children to take a ride by it.

“I know there is a tiny possibility that the funicular will be replaced and I am sure we can not make the municipality to change the funicular’s route. But at least after repairing works we have to make sure that the incident will never be repeated,” she says.

The funicular, constructed in 1976 is controlled by municipality and run by a private company. The municipality says it is going to pay compensation to the families of dead and injured passengers; however they did not specify yet the amount of compensation.


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Sad Site: Funicular car that killed five remains in yard of shocked family

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