The government of Georgia had decided to declare Monday, August 7 as a day of mourning following a landslide that hit western Georgia’s Shovi resort, killing at least eleven people on Thursday, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on Friday.
According to the Internal Affairs Ministry, 140 people have been rescued so far, with 30 people still missing. Rescue crews -- about 400 firefighters and employees of various departments of the Internal Affairs Ministry -- are involved in search operations.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili also addressed the Georgian nation today from the Orbeliani Palace. She expressed her deep sorrow at the tragedy at Racha’s resort of Shovi, offered her condolences to the families of the victims and said she was praying for the rescue of the rest of those still unaccounted for. She stressed that her administration and she personally declare their solidarity with the local government and all state structures and express their readiness to be involved in any way possible to help overcome the tragedy. She thanked the rescuers, stressing the difficulty and importance of their work.
International partners of Georgia have been expressing their solidarity and extended condolences to the victims of the Shovi landslide.
