16 Killed in Landslide in Georgia

In a tourist town in northwest Georgia, authorities reported on Saturday that a landslide had left at least 16 people dead and dozens missing.

The avalanche happened on Thursday in Shovi, a small resort hamlet in the mountainous northwest of Georgia noted for its wide woodlands and natural water springs.

A spokesperson for the interior ministry named Teimuraz Mghebrishvili said, "Sixteen bodies have been found in the disaster area and their identification is underway."

Images showed personnel battling to move the debris as they dug through rubble that had been partially buried by earth.

‘An iron bridge over the river was organised, which will allow us to bring all the necessary equipment into the disaster area,’ Mghebrishvili said.

As rescue dogs and aircraft were sent to aid in the search, officials stated that more than 200 people had to be evacuated from the vicinity.

Shovi, a secluded valley town 140 kilometers (87 miles) northwest of Tbilisi, is situated at the meeting point of two rivers. 

According to the Red Cross, the region's roads and bridges were devastated.

A survivor reported spending two hours partially buried in the landslide.

‘We suddenly heard a dreadful rumble, and trees began to fall around us,’ Mariam Berianidze, a 25-year-old student, told.

She said in an earlier post on social media that she saw three people swept away before her eyes. 

‘We miraculously survived,’ she told. 

‘I still can’t believe how we made it through.’

Merab Gaprindashvili, a geologist from Georgia’s National Environmental Agency, said Thursday’s landslide was caused by a combination of factors and was unlikely to happen again.

‘In particular, there are two glaciers in the headwaters of the river, which are intensively melting. This was accompanied by heavy rainfall,’ he said in a televised interview.

Russia’s Patriarch Kirill expressed ‘his deepest condolences in connection to the tragedy’ to the head of the Georgian Orthodox church, Patriarch Ilia II. 

‘I grieve together with the people of fraternal Iveria and hope that the search and rescue operations... will bring good news to everyone who is worried about the fate of their loved ones,’ Kirill said. 

Heavy rains and flooding are fairly common in Georgia, where steep slopes pose a risk of landslides.

In 2008, six people were killed by a landslide in the southern Black Sea region of Adjara.