Interior Ministry launches investigation into death of teenager in electrocution incident

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia has launched an investigation into the death of a 15-year-old following an incident in Tskneti, a holiday settlement on the outskirts of capital Tbilisi, on Tuesday.

Local media reports said Datuna Zghenti, a young basketball player of Qari club, died after receiving electric shock in a gazebo in a local park, with the news also noting infrastructure works ongoing near the spot.

Vake district administration denied a connection between the development and the incident, noting the greening works were “at an early stage and with no connection to the gazebo in question”.

It also called the reports linking the two “completely false” and an “attempt to discredit Tbilisi Municipality”, and instead said while the exact cause would be confirmed by the investigation, an “electric device” had been identified to have been “illegally installed” in the gazebo.

The body said those who illegally performed this work would be identified during the course of the ongoing inquiry, which is running with the formal article of violations of safety rules during construction works.

The incident follows last year’s deadly electrocution of three teenagers in a newly renovated area in Tbilisi’s Vake Park that led to the death of a 13-year-old, and comes a day after eight of the nine individuals arrested following the case were sentenced by Tbilisi City Court.