Laura Sevoyan relates the harrowing tale of how she and her extended family of thirteen fled their native village of Vaghuhas, in Karabakh’s Martakert region, in the wake of advancing Azerbaijani troops who fired their weapons demanding that all Armenians leave.

The family reached Stepanakert, spending five days in the Artsakh capital, surviving on a loaf of bread.

After reaching the Armenian border, the family was directed to the town of Goris in search of temporary housing but there’s none. All the hotels and guesthouses are packed with hundreds of Karabakh Armenians who arrived earlier.

Mrs. Sevoyan says the family spent the night in their van. There are many in Goris in a similar situation.

Some arriving from Karabakh told me that they’ve refused government offers of housing in Armenia’s border villages. They say they want to live far away from the border with Azerbaijan.