UPDATED: Rescuers find 16th body in disaster zone in Georgia's west
Mgebrishvili stressed that the Service would continue working through the night, adding that installing a temporary bridge over the river to the disaster area would allow the rescuers to bring all necessary equipment into the epicentre of the disaster. Photo via Interior Ministry
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Updated at 18:58
The Georgian Interior Ministry on Saturday said the rescuers had found the 16th body during the search and rescue operations in the western municipality of Oni, after a landslide hit Shovi resort on Thursday.
In his comments to the media Temur Mgebrishvili, the Head of the Emergency Management Service, said today, on the third day of the search and rescue works, five bodies had been found at the location of the cottages and noted seven people were identified from the deceased.
He stressed that the Service would continue working through the night, adding that installing a temporary bridge over the river to the disaster area would allow the rescuers to bring all necessary equipment into the epicentre of the disaster.
Mgebrishvili called on everyone to verify any type of information, if necessary, on the hotline created after the disaster or on the emergency number.
Earlier at 15:47
The rescuers have found the 14th body during the search and rescue operations in the western municipality of Oni, after a landslide hit Shovi resort on Thursday, the Interior Ministry confirmed to the media.
Georgian Health Minister Zurab Azarashvili said "dozens of heavy equipment" were involved in the operations and various state agencies were working in coordination in disaster relief works, adding "thousands of cubic meters of soil" in the area were "hindering the working process".
Earlier at 14:04
Georgian Infrastructure Minister Irakli Karseladze on Saturday told the media the rescuers had found another body during the search and rescue operations in the western municipality of Oni, after a landslide hit Shovi resort on Thursday, killing at least 12 people.
According to the latest information available, the rescuers have been looking for 24 people missing after the disaster. A total of 210 individuals were evacuated from the disaster zone to a safe place.
Leri Barnabishvili, the Head of the Regional Liaison Department of the Government Administration, recently said six people were identified from the deceased, and noted all procedures would be carried out to identify the remaining victims killed by the landslide disaster.
A mobile headquarters of the Emergency Management Service has been organised near the disaster-affected area, with firefighters, rescuers, police units, drones, special equipment and a border police helicopter continuously searching for the missing people for the third day.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili earlier today signed a decree declaring Monday as a day of mourning to honour the victims of the massive landslide.
The Roads Department of Georgia on Saturday said it had installed a temporary bridge to access the disaster zone in the western municipality of Oni, after a landslide killed at least 16 in the Shovi resort on Thursday, which would “significantly” contribute to the ongoing search and rescue operations.
Black Sea Arena, a concert venue in Georgia’s Black Sea town of Shekvetili, on Friday announced that as a result of consultations with the Government Administration, the scheduled concerts over the weekend would be cancelled following the tragic events in the western municipality of Oni, after a landslide killed at least 13 in the Shovi resort on Thursday.
The National Environmental Agency of Georgia on Saturday said five natural geological and hydrological processes had converged and led to a landslide in western Georgia’s Shovi resort on Thursday, killing at least 12 people.
Deputy Interior ministers Ioseb Chelidze and Giorgi Butkhuzi, as well as the Head of the Emergency Management Service Temur Mghebrishvili, on Saturday inspected the disaster zone in the western municipality of Oni, after a landslide killed at least 11 in the Shovi resort on Thursday, from the helicopter together with the families of missing persons.
Georgian Infrastructure Minister Irakli Karseladze on Saturday said the disaster relief works in the western municipality of Oni, after a landslide killed at least 11 in the Shovi resort on Thursday “continued intensively”, including clearing and restoration works.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Saturday signed a decree declaring Monday as a day of mourning to honour the victims of a landslide that hit western Georgia’s Shovi resort, killing at least 11 people on Thursday.
Georgian Defence Forces on Friday said its units had departed to join the ongoing search and rescue operations in the western municipality of Oni to find remaining survivors after a landslide killed at least 11 in the Shovi resort on Thursday.
Temur Mgebrishvili, the Head of the Emergency Management Service on Sunday said the rescuers had recovered the body of the 18th victim of the disaster in the western municipality of Oni, after a landslide hit Shovi resort on Thursday.