These women are among thousands of diaspora armenians who travel from all corners of the globe to pay tribute to their dead at the genocide memorial in yerevan .
At yerevan airport , tina karapetian , 45 , said she had been waiting for her sister and her sister 's two sons , who were due on the flight . " What will I do without them ? "
Serob karapetian , the chief of yerevan airport 's aviation security service , said the plane may have attempted an emergency landing , but reports that it caught fire in the air were " only one version " .
It 's only 20 miles ( 36 kilometers ) from the capital of yerevan , home to one-third of the nation 's population .
它距离占据全国人口三分之一的首都埃里温,也仅有20英里之遥(36公里)。
The deputy chairman of armenia 's civil aviation authority , arsen pogosian , told reporters in yerevan there were 154 passengers and 15 crew members on board .
The turks have even made a partial attempt at reconciliation with armenia , a process begun when president abdullah gul visited yerevan in late 2008 to attend a football match .
It is threatening to sever air links between turkey and yerevan and to expel armenian migrant workers if the armenian government does not lobby on its behalf .