Tbilisi flood recovery: Two bodies found in past 24 hours
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Authorities have discovered the bodies of two more flood victims.
This news comes five days after the natural disaster, bringing the total death toll to 21. As of this afternoon, three people remain missing and six others are receiving treatment in local hospitals.
After rescue workers assessed the situation today, they discovered more local families had suffered in the flood.
More than 100 families are affected by the Tbilisi flood, announced the officials. Photo by N. Alavidze / Agenda.ge
This evening officials confirmed 457 people from 106 families, including 119 children, 56 elderly and five pregnant women, were affected by the June 13 flood.
An unidentified body was recovered yesterday while the body found today at Tbilisi Zoo has been identified as Liza Zarandia. Liza, 25, was a sister of 22-year-old Indira Zarandia, the youngest victim of the flood whose body was found on June 15 at Mziuri Park.
Indira and Liza Zarandia were in a taxi together with their friend Sergo Kapanadze when the flood hit Tbilisi. Kapanadze remains missing.
The two recovered victims were earlier named on the missing list, while another person deemed missing has returned home safely.
All day today special teams have cleaned Tbilisi Zoo, Mziuri Park and Svanidze St territory to remove the debris and find the remaining three missing victims.
Epidemic threat
Due to possible risks of epidemic threats or predator attacks, volunteers who have been actively working at disaster zones in recent days were forbidden to get involved in the clean-up works without wearing protective clothing and using special equipment.
The Patrol Police closed off the natural disaster zones to traffic so volunteers could freely access the site. Photo by N. Alavidze / Agenda.ge
"The volunteers will continue working in the suburbs. The Health Ministry will take appropriate measures in the ‘at risk’ areas. There are special rules and conditions that need to be taken into account by all,” Tbilisi Mayor Davit Narmania said.
The Patrol Police closed off the natural disaster zones to traffic so volunteers could freely access the site.
After visiting the Vake Meat Products factory today Georgia’s Health Minister Davit Sergeenko said: "there are no epidemic treats in Tbilisi”. The factory is completely destroyed. Today the factory was cleaned of its spoiled meat products, which could potentially illness.
Meanwhile the Health Ministry is providing tetanus shots for people who are injured during the cleaning works. People can visit the Centre of Immunization and Prevention to receive this vaccine. Tbilisi Zoo director Zurab Gurielidze was one of several citizens who have received this medication.
Furthermore, Catholicos-Patriarch of all Georgia Ilia II has blessed the volunteers working at Mziuri Park. The Patriarch visited the affected area with clergymen to familiarise himself with the volunteer efforts.
Georgia's Prime Minister and his wife commemorating Tbilisi flood victims. Photos from PM's Facebook page.
Earlier today Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and his wife visited the symbolic memorial at the start of Vere River ravine in Vake district to commemorate those who lost their lives in Saturday night’s flood. He said a memorial would be erected at the site, where in recent days people have informally laid flowers and candles for the flood victims.
Volunteers were asked not to go to disaster zones without wearing protective clothing and using special equipment. Photos by N. Alavidze / Agenda.ge
Monitoring the tunnels
The Patrol Police and Crisis and Emergency Management Council representatives are continuing to work on recovery operations.
Today Crisis and Emergency Management Council envoys and geologists monitored the tunnels that were full of water and mud after the severe flood in Tbilisi. Using boats they managed to creep into the clefts that appeared between the old and new river tunnels.
Council director Zviad Kanashvili said the tunnels were checked as part of the search for the missing victims as well as to check the integrity of the tunnels.
Geologist Zurab Tsintsadze said the tunnels were in "normal” condition. "The only problem is the adhesion point of the tunnels which will be fixed,” Tsintsadze said.
US Ambassador to Georgia Richard Norland promised American forest experts, geologists and seismologists will visit Georgia to help their counterparts.
Svanidze Street
At the same time, the works are persisting on Svanidze St, the area most affected by the natural disaster. Today’s efforts revealed four houses were seriously damaged and needed to be dismantled, said Tbilisi Mayor.
Rescue teams also spent the day pumping water from flood-ridden buildings.
Four houses were seriously damaged and needed to be dismantled, said Tbilisi Mayor. Photo by N. Alavidze / Agenda.ge
Mayor Narmania visited the street today with the Turkish Ambassador and businessmen. Turkish authorities learnt of the damage and from this will decide how to help Georgia overcome the challenge.
"After I got information about the natural disaster in Tbilisi I invited Turkish businessmen to think together how to help Georgia. Financial assistance and providing special equipment is vital,” said Turkish Ambassador to Georgia Zeki Levent Gumrukcu.
Be careful: Tiger and hyena still missing
A handful of wild animals that escaped from the Zoo during the flood in Tbilisi are still walking freely in the city’s streets. The whereabouts of one tiger and a striped hyena remain unknown. The Zoo director called on the Tbilisi public to be careful.
Gurielidze did not rule out that the lost predators were dead, but said enclosures in the Zoo were still filled with mud, making it impossible to enter and check if the missing predators’ bodies were there.
He said once the enclosures were cleaned then Zoo staff would know what the true situation is.
Runaway penguin found
Employees of the Wissol gas station near Laguna Vere discovered a runway penguin today. Seventeen penguins used to live in Tbilisi Zoo of which eight survived the flood and one was found today. Zoo Administration could not confirm the penguin belonged to the Zoo, explaining "nobody informed us about the discovery of a penguin today". The penguin has not yet been returned to the Zoo.
Eight penguins survived the disaster at Tbilisi Zoo. One of them was found today. Photo by Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
People in Georgia and around the globe are generously donating whatever they can afford to assist the hundreds of people affected by the devastating flood in Tbilisi.
The Tskneti-Betania road is currently the most dangerous place in Georgia’s capital city. World-leading specialist in environmental hazards and risk management, Italian geologist Claudio Margottini said the situation was "rather difficult” and future landslides could be repeated if heavy rainfall began again.
No wild animals are on the loose in the Georgian capital. All beasts that escaped from Tbilisi Zoo during the weekend’s flooding have been accounted for.
Authorities have discovered the bodies of two more victims of the Tbilisi flood, bringing the death toll to 14.
Three lions, two bears, a tiger, jaguar and wolf could still be roaming Tbilisi streets following the massive flooding that destroyed the zoo in the Georgian capital on Sunday morning.
Georgia is mourning the loss of a dozen people who died in a major flash flood in capital city Tbilisi on Saturday night.
Take a look at this incredible aerial video shot by drone above the Vere river valley in central Tbilisi. The footage shows the scale of the damage caused by the Saturday night flood.
Fourteen people who were reported missing after Sunday morning’s deadly Tbilisi flood have shown up safe and well and are now recovering from their ordeal with their loved ones.
Search and rescue teams are continuing to search for one tiger and a striped hyena, and are urging people in Georgia's capital to remain vigilant and avoid dark and hidden places until the two animals are caught.
Updated: "Unusually large animal prints” seen in one of the villages in central Georgia that locals thought belonged to a big cat has turned out to be a dog's footprints.
Georgian leaders, high officials and other citizens from all around the country are gathering in a small village in central Georgia to pay homage to the rescue officer who sacrificed his life to save others during the June 13 deadly flash flood in Tbilisi.
Today marks exactly two years since the Georgian capital of Tbilisi was hit by a deadly flash flood, which turned out to be the city’s worst human and infrastructural disaster in decades.
Today marks three years since the Georgian capital of Tbilisi was hit by a deadly flash flood, which turned out to be the city’s worst human and infrastructural disaster in decades.
Tbilisi City Hall has presented sketches earlier today in Mziuri Park for a sculpture of the hippopotamus Begi, who escaped the zoo during the June 13 deadly flood in Tbilisi in 2015.
‘Wounds still open’
Four years have passed since the Georgian capital of Tbilisi was hit by a deadly flash flood which turned out to be the city’s worst human and infrastructural disaster in decades, claiming 21 lives, with the remains of two still missing. More than 1,000 people from up to 200 families lost their homes or businesses in the natural disaster.