2023-08-06 06:28:18
The latest assessment, published on Saturday, of the landslide in the mountainous region of Ratcha is dramatic. At least 16 people have been killed and dozens missing in northwest Georgia.
“Sixteen bodies have been found in the disaster area and their identification is in progress,” Interior Ministry spokesman Teimouraz Mghebrichvili said. Images released by the ministry show rescuers picking up debris partially buried in the earth and teams working to dig up the ground. “A bridge over the river has been put in place, which will allow us to transport all the necessary equipment to the disaster area,” said Teimouraz Mghebrichvili.
A “terrible roar”
One survivor said she spent two hours half-buried. “We suddenly heard a terrible roar and trees started falling around us,” said Mariam Berianidze, a 25-year-old student. She previously claimed in a social media post that she saw three people being swept away before her eyes. “We survived by a miracle. I still can’t believe we got away with it.”
The landslide occurred on Thursday, after several days of torrential rain, near a hotel in Chovi, a small tourist resort in the mountains of the Ratcha region. It damaged cabins, power lines, roads and bridges. According to Merab Gaprindashvili, a geologist with the Georgian Environment Agency, the disaster was caused by a combination of several factors, including heavy rains and the “intense” melting of two glaciers.
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