Missing German citizen dies in car accident in mountainous Mestia

The body of a German man missing in Georgia for four months has been found at the site of a car accident in mountainous Mestia in Georgia's northwest Svaneti region.

Today police announced they had found a body in the wreckage of a car and it was believed to be 65-year-old engineer Sergei Smislov. 

Smislov had worked for three years for a company that operated in Mestia but went missing in July 12, 2016 - three days before his contract expired.

When Smislov was declared missing in July his family urged Georgian police to search for the missing engineer.

At the time the man's family believed Smislov's disappearance was suspicious and believed he could have been kidnapped despite there being no evidence to support this claim.

Police released a statement this morning stating a man's body had been found in the wreck of a car accident. Police indicated it was very likely the victim inside was the missing German man. 

"Based on preliminary estimations the body found in the deep ravine near Mestia road belongs to Smislov. All his belongings, identity and other documents, as well as a laptop were found at the scene,” police told Georgian online media Interpressnews. 

A local official said the car wreck had been mentioned by a member of the public, which led police to finding the vehicle. It is understood the accident happened in July.