Interior Minister says Gov’t response to Shovi landslide was “effective”, cites “genuine improvements” for emergency services

Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri on Friday told the Parliament the Government's response to the deadly landslide in the Shovi resort in the country’s west that killed 32 people in August had been “effective and timely”, while also detailing “genuine improvements” in the Emergency Management Service. 

Rejecting the opposition lawmakers’ allegations about a delay in response to the disaster which they claimed could have left some victims without vital aid, the official claimed the landslide had “instantly” killed 32, pointing to their “severely injured” bodies, and added the rescuers, representatives of local authorities and the law enforcement had arrived at the scene in about half an hour after being notified. 

He called claims the authorities could have been able to save more with a more active engagement of helicopter crews and thermal drone operators in response efforts “speculation and lies”, and stressed neither could be effective “when individuals are trapped under masses of soil”. 

Gomelauri highlighted night flights, considering weather conditions and the landscape in question, would have been “unsafe” for rescue crews even in the case of using more modern helicopters. He noted the country’s border police helicopters were equipped with necessary hardware for night flights but had not been used in the nighttime operation due to potential “low effectiveness and high safety risk”. 

In remarks to claims by several members of the domestic opposition that rescuers had to work with outdated equipment and uniforms in the response operation, the Ministry said the Emergency Management Service had undergone “serious updates” since 2019, with more than ₾20 million ($8 mln) spent on new equipment. 

He added the agency had access to different types of hardware, including off-road vehicles, all-terrain quad bikes, water transport and modern fire engines.

The official also told MPs the agency staff, including rescuers and firefighters, had seen at least a 50 percent rise in their wages since 2019, bonuses following large-scale operations, and nutrition for those working in 24-hour shifts since 2020.

Until 2015, there was no unified structure and rescue services were subordinated to municipalities. Their basic equipment was Soviet-made, outdated and depreciated”, Gomelauri said.

He also accused a part of domestic opposition groups of engaging in “spreading lies and disinformation” about the efforts of rescuers and the Government “while our hero rescuers and firefighters were sparing no efforts to save people in the disaster zone”.