UPDATED: 3 out of 9 lost tourists in Georgia found safe

UPDATED: 23:09

Three Israeli tourists lost in the historic province of Khevsureti in the mountains of east Georgia have been found safe.

The tourists are believed to have been lost due to bad weather conditions as heavy rain has damaged roads preventing the travelers from escaping the region.

EARLIER: 15:31

Georgian rescue officers are searching for two groups of foreign tourists who went missing in different parts of Georgia.

The search is underway for five travelers who are allegedly lost in the historic province of Khevsureti in the mountains of east Georgia.

Late yesterday evening, at about 22.00, we received an SOS signal, after which we identified the coordinates and the search is continuing”, the Emergency Management Agency said.

It is understood that the tourists went missing somewhere near the Guro Tower in Khevsureti.

The agency also said that the identification of the lost tourists is not established yet.

Meanwhile four other tourists are being searched for in the Kaspi Municipality in central Georgia. The lost individuals are thought to be hikers who lost their way in the forest in the village of Gostibe.

The Emergency Management Agency was contacted and asked for help by the tourists late night on July 5 but the phone contact was cut off soon and the lost group can’t be reached since then.

Authorities think that poor weather conditions made it difficult for tourists to find their way. It has been heavily raining in most parts of Georgia for the past couple of days.

Intense rains caused problems in western Georgia too where in the region of Racha several bridges have been swept away and villages are now isolated from the rest of the country.

Problems occurred along the Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Larsi road connecting Georgia with Russia, where large piles of stones and mud have blocked some sections.