On December 6, 1988, an earthquake hit the north east of Armenia. The death toll reached close to 60,000.
The IDF sent an aid mission of rescue workers as well as medical supplies to Leninakan (today Gyumri), where 80 percent of the population was left homeless. The Israeli team was able to rescue 14 people from 120 bodies that were found. The delegation worked around the clock to keep the survivors alive in the severe cold of winter until they were moved to hospitals.