Rescuers recover body from Dariali Gorge landslide debris

Rescue workers have recovered a man’s body following the devastating landslide in Georgia's Dariali Gorge.

Rescuers said the body belonged to a truck driver however it was "impossible” to identify because the body had sustained severe damage in the landslide.

Emergency services said the man was found alongside parts of the truck however the truck had been severely squashed.

He was the first person to be recovered from the Dariali Gorge. Five others remain missing since the May 17 incident.

Two truck drivers were injured in the landslide, including a Ukrainian man who was recovered the same day as the landslide. He was taken to a Tbilisi hospital but later died following severe crushing injuries.

Earlier today a Slovakian company reached out to Georgian authorities to help find an employee who went missing after the event.

The man was employed by Slovak based-company Universal Media Corporation.

The landslide hit Dariali Gorge in the early hours of May 17. The gorge is located near the Georgia-Russia border in northern Georgia.

It is believed one million cubic meters of land mass flew into Tergi River during the landslide, which blocked roads and the valley floor. Several trucks were also found squashed under rubble during search efforts in the past few days.

Representatives of Universal Media Corporation sent a letter to the Georgian Public Broadcaster yesterday and asked for help to find 63-year-old Khabzi Zankiev, who has been missing since May 17.

Zankiev had Russian citizenship and was from Vladikavkaz, a Russian city near the Georgian border. For this reason, the company believed he was travelling to his hometown when he was caught in the landslide.

Experts said the landslide was caused by extreme movements of an icy glacier located high on a mountain peak. It is believed a small earthquake was the trigger behind the event.

Meanwhile at the site, rescue groups have managed to reestablish the riverbed so water can flow in its original path.

The North-South gas pipeline, which transports natural gas from Russia to Armenia thorough Georgia, has been restored after a mudslide caused major damage to the pipes. Consequently, gas was temporarily stopped from travelling along this route.

Georgia’s Minister of Internal Affairs Alexander Tchikaidze remained at the accident site to offer guidance to 24-hour rescue groups that are continuing to search for landslide victims.