‘The burned people ran to the hospital, screaming in pain’: Artsakh exodus #17

Knarik Emiryan was the last medical worker to leave the Republican Medical Center of Stepanakert. On September 25, when she and her husband had already decided to leave, she received a call from the hospital and was informed of the need to provide medical assistance to victims of the gas station blast.

“I will never forget this day; it was terrible. The burned men ran to the hospital, screaming in pain. There were few medical workers; many had already left Artsakh. We did not know who to help. The skin of the injured was severely burned, and there was no place to give injections. Their faces were unrecognizable. They were screaming for help,” Knarik told Alpha News.

Knarik worked as a nurse in the emergency ward of the Republican Medical Center in Stepanakert. On September 19, after Azerbaijan’s large-scale attack on Artsakh, Knarik went to the hospital with her sons. Having hidden them in the basement, she hurried to the wounded to provide medical care.

“The sounds of the explosion were very loud; our house was located at the entrance to Stepanakert, not far from Shushi. I could hear the sounds clearly. My husband was on duty, анд my two sons had already returned home from school. My daughter stayed at school, which was far away, and I could not go after her. I called the police and asked them to go get my daughter, but they assured me that all the children had been taken to the basements. Then I went to the hospital with my sons. A few hours later, my daughter called and said that she was at her grandmother’s. To be honest, we thought that we would not survive. We were blockaded on four sides, and the sounds of explosions were heard non-stop,” Knarik said.

During these days, Knarik and her children remained in the hospital basement. On September 24, she received the first call from her husband after they were disarmed.

On September 26, Knarik’s family had to leave Artsakh. For several days, she watched how other Artsakh residents were forced to leave their homes. Knarik said that no one wanted to leave their homeland, but people did not feel safe.

She also left Artsakh with a heavy heart; the graves of her parents remained there.

Now Knarik, her husband, and three children live in Zovuni, where they rent housing. She says that they will have to settle down again, but they want to return to Artsakh.

“If the Turks are not there, I will return. It is impossible to live with people who kill children and the elderly,” Knarik said.