Rescuers still looking for survivors of a deadly landslide in Georgia

Rescue teams are still searching for survivors of a devastating landslide in a mountainous area of Georgia last week that killed at least 18 people with a further 16 still missing.

The worst affected area was around Shovi, 140km northwest of the capital Tbilisi.

Buildings, bridges and roads around the resort were destroyed in the district, which is dotted with cottages and small hotels.

Around 400 emergency workers, firefighters, police and volunteers are involved in the rescue operations.

“Two of my sister’s children and their friend were here on vacation,” said Kako Simonishvili as he waited for any news from the rescue teams, “there’s no sight of any of the three.”

Georgian authorities said that, of the dead, they had only been able to identify seven people and that DNA analysis would determine the identity of the other victims.

Local residents like Algirdas Strioga have rallied to help with the rescue operation.

“You see how everybody is mobilised,” he explained. “Everybody comes here, everybody wants to be part of it. So it’s a huge motivation to see that people are coming, so you want to come as well and do something for everybody.”

According to the preliminary findings of Georgia’s Environment Agency, a rock avalanche crashed into a glacier, causing part of it to collapse. This may have caused the water trapped under the glacier to flow out. The accumulated mass then began to accelerate rapidly in the riverbed of the gorge, destroying everything in its path.

“The houses were built in the gorge, where the riverbed used to be,” explained Merab Gaprindashvili from Georgia’s National Environmental Agency. “Here’s what we need to be focusing on. What we need to do is make sure people arrange their plots of land, living spaces and infrastructure in a way that makes it possible to withstand the effects of global warming.”

Rescue operations are continuing and the government is investigating any possible violations of safety regulations in the area.

Efforts to rescue those trapped in Racha are still underway.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, an investigation has been launched into manslaughter through culpable negligence and violations of safety regulations in mining, construction and other activities.