September 24–October 4, 2023: The Mass Exodus

The opening of the escape route

On September 24, 2023, large numbers of Armenian residents began leaving Nagorno-Karabakh through the Lachin Corridor.

The road connecting Stepanakert with Armenia became crowded with vehicles carrying families, personal belongings, elderly relatives, children, and essential possessions.

For many, the decision to leave was made under extreme pressure.

They had little time to prepare, uncertain information about conditions ahead, and limited access to fuel.

Families abandoned homes they had occupied for generations.

Some locked their doors and took their keys, hoping that they might one day return.

Others left behind property documents, family photographs, household goods, agricultural equipment, livestock, and belongings accumulated over a lifetime.

The scale of displacement

UNHCR / Armenian government reporting, September 24–October 4, 2023

100,632

Reported arrivals in Armenia

\~30,000

Children among arrivals

40,000+

Peak daily arrivals, Sept. 27

\~1 week

Period of the main exodus

Reported figures vary by counting date and registration method.

The departure of more than 100,000 people in such a short period was extraordinary.

By early October, only a very small number of ethnic Armenians remained in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The population movement fundamentally altered the region's demographic composition.

The journey through the mountains

The distance between Stepanakert and the Armenian border was relatively short, but the journey became exceptionally difficult.

Traffic stretched for kilometers.

Some families spent more than a day on the road. Others described journeys lasting several days.

Vehicles moved slowly through mountain passes and congested checkpoints.

Families ran short of food, water, and fuel.

Children slept in crowded vehicles. Elderly passengers endured long periods without adequate medical care or sanitation.

Some people traveled in trucks or improvised transport because they had no private vehicles.

The conditions were especially difficult for individuals with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and limited mobility.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum reported that 69 people were said to have died during the exodus. This figure should be distinguished from deaths during the military offensive and from the separate fuel-depot explosion.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Families separated by the emergency

The departure created confusion over the whereabouts of relatives.

Communication systems were unreliable, and some residents had moved between settlements during the fighting.

Parents searched for children, adult children searched for elderly relatives, and families attempted to determine whether missing people had reached Armenia.

The International Committee of the Red Cross helped with humanitarian assistance and family-link restoration efforts.

The full consequences of family separation extended beyond the initial evacuation.

September 25: The fuel-depot explosion

One of the most devastating incidents during the exodus occurred on September 25, 2023.

A fuel depot near Stepanakert exploded while large numbers of people were attempting to obtain gasoline for evacuation.

The explosion caused a catastrophic fire.

Hundreds were killed or injured, with casualty totals revised as authorities identified victims and recovered remains.

Many victims suffered severe burns.

Medical facilities were already struggling with shortages and the consequences of the military offensive.

Emergency teams worked under extremely difficult conditions to treat the injured and arrange evacuations.

The explosion compounded the tragedy of the exodus.

Families attempting to secure enough fuel to escape were instead confronted with another mass-casualty disaster.

The exact cause of the explosion was not conclusively established in the immediate aftermath. It should not be described as a deliberate attack without substantiated evidence.

Arrival in Armenia

Most refugees entered Armenia through the Kornidzor border area before traveling onward to Goris and other communities.

Armenian authorities established registration and reception facilities.

Volunteers distributed food, water, clothing, hygiene supplies, and other essentials.

Medical personnel assisted injured and exhausted arrivals.

Local residents opened their homes, provided transportation, and offered temporary accommodation.

International humanitarian organizations mobilized assistance.

The immediate challenge was enormous: Armenia had to receive and support a population equivalent to several percent of its own residents within days.

The emergency quickly expanded beyond border reception into a national housing, healthcare, education, employment, and social-protection challenge.