Using their hands and excavators, rescue teams dug through the detritus and devastation.
The Georgian prime minister announced on Friday that a devastating landslide in the western Georgian region of Racha left seven persons dead and more than 30 others missing. Irakli Garibashvili, the prime minister of Georgia, also disclosed that rescuers were on the scene and that he had enlisted the army to assist in the search.
“Unfortunately, seven bodies have thus far been discovered. It is a very difficult situation… they are searching for more than 30, but let’s wait and see,” he said.
According to a previous post by the ministry of the interior, 140 people had been evacuated while two helicopters and rescue canines participated in the search efforts.
Images from the scene depicted rescue personnel sifting through detritus partially concealed by the displaced earth. Meanwhile, rescue teams shifted the soil by hand and with excavators.
Thursday’s landslide occurred in Shovi, a small resort area in the mountainous northwest of Georgia known for its extensive forests and natural springs. Georgia’s National Environmental Agency geologist Merab Gaprindashvili stated that Thursday’s landslide was caused by a combination of factors and was unlikely to occur again.
“In particular, there are two glaciers in the river’s headwaters that are vanishing rapidly. This was accompanied by significant precipitation,” he stated in a television interview.
Georgia frequently experiences heavy rainfall and inundation, and the region’s steep terrain pose a risk of landslides.
In 2008, six persons were murdered by a landslide in the Adjara region of the southern Black Sea.
