The death toll from a mudslide that hit a Shovi resort area in the mountains of Georgia increased to 19, officials said today, on the sixth day of a search and rescue operation.
A female body and another body fragment were found in the river today, according to Temur Mghebrishvili, head of the Emergency Management Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.
Rescue teams continue to search for 16 other missing people.
The mudslide hit the Shovi area on Thursday, August 3. Shovi, about 140 kilometers (85 miles) northwest of the capital Tbilisi, is popular for its mineral springs and rugged mountain vistas and contains cottages and small hotels.
Georgia declared a day of mourning on August 7. Flags continued to fly at half-staff across the country on August 8 to honor victims of the five-day 2008 Russian-Georgian War that ended with Moscow’s recognition of Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
