Death toll in western Georgia landslide hits eight

Rescuers late on Wednesday recovered the bodies of two additional individuals in Nergeti village, within the Baghdati municipality of western Georgia, following a devastating landslide this week.

The death toll has now reached eight, with efforts by rescuers to locate other missing persons are still ongoing.

In the early hours of February 7 a landslide occurred in the Imereti region, specifically in the village of Nergeeti within the Baghdati municipality. Four residences were engulfed by the landslide.

On February 6, two individuals lost their lives in the Khulo and Keda municipalities of the Adjara region of western Georgia due to avalanches and landslides triggered by heavy snowfall and rain.

The Department of Geology of the National Environment Agency, in its recent bulletin, highlighted the likelihood of landslides in Baghdad villages by 2023. Nergeti village was identified as one of the areas at risk.

The 2023-dated document provides insights into natural geological processes in Georgia and forecasts for the same year. It indicated that the activation of landslide processes was anticipated in seven villages of the Imereti region: Obcha, Dimi, Tsitelkhevi, Persati, Nergeti, Shubani, and Zegani.