The terrible event of the April day - April 29, 1991 - was remembered by the participants of the mourning rally in Dzau, on the “Walk of Fame”, at the monument to the victims of the earthquake, where people annually gather on this day to pay tribute to the victims.
“It was a monstrous spectacle for the entire South Ossetian people,” said Toradz Tybylty, an eyewitness of those days, at a rally. He told how it all happened, how the earthquake hit people, and how many did not have time to escape.
“On April 29, at 12 hours 13 minutes, the strongest earthquake happened, which destroyed one of the most beautiful places of our Republic - Dzau district, and the village of Khahet completely went underground. Most of the houses were destroyed. Unfortunately, not without human victims, among them are children from the boarding school, who did not have time to leave the building in time,” said the eyewitness.
The resident of the district has reminded that on the day of the earthquake a rally was being held in the district center, which saved many people from the elements.
“A few days earlier, an employee of the district committee Zaira Dzhioeva proposed to hold a rally against the policy of Georgia on April 29. Many came to the rally, that saved them. As soon as people gathered, an earthquake began. We understand today that if it had not been for that rally, there would have been much more victims,” he noted.
The head of the administration of Dzau district, Andrei Dzhioev, has noted that a terrible event could not be erased from people's memory.
“The earthquake caused great damage to our area and claimed many lives. The memory of the victims of this element will always remain in our hearts,” he said.
The head of state, Anatoly Bibilov, took part in the memorial meeting.
“The tragedy is terrible in itself. It's even scarier when children die. You can often hear that time takes pain. Yes, perhaps it is, but the pain of this tragedy will never subside. Despite the fact that 28 years have passed, everyone remembers it, especially those who were there and those who lost their relatives. Our common duty is not to forget their names and honor their memory,” said the President.
A small rally was held on the territory of the boarding school in Dzau District. They honored the memory of three boarding school pupils who died during the earthquake.
The President, addressing the students, noted once again that this was a terrible event for the entire South Ossetian people, and asked the schoolchildren to always remember the names of the three children who died in the disaster.
The President wished all children never to experience such things again, "let our children not know the troubles, live in peace and joy."
On April 29, 1991, as a result of a natural disaster, the village of Dzau was completely destroyed, and the whole village of Khakhet disappeared under a landslide. The victims of the elements were 59 people. Overnight about three thousand objects were destroyed, the entire infrastructure of the area was in ruins.
