“No need” for pilots to risk at disaster night – Interior Minister

Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri on Sunday claimed there was “no need” for the pilots to risk on August 3, when a major landslide hit the western Georgian resort of Shovi, killing 24, saying helicopters could have crashed. 

 

The comment came following the allegations on the Government’s delayed response to the disaster, with two helicopters reaching the site in three hours from receiving the notification and stopping the operation for the whole night. 

 

“We have devices that allow us to work at night, we have purchased them. We can fly, but there was high risk”, the official said, adding helicopters arrived at the site “on time”. 

 

“A helicopter is neither a bicycle nor a car. It needs time to get ready. Secondly, the weather was very bad, which hampered the flight. But they arrived at the site on time and evacuated 70 individuals”, Gomelauri said. 

 

He added the Government had already purchased three new helicopters the authorities have claimed the country needed since 2013, and added they would be delivered in 2024 and 2025. 

 

“Helicopters are not a car to buy in a day. We needed to stand in a queue”, he said. 

 

In response to the absence of early warning systems, Gomelauri said they would have been unable “to stop the disaster”, amid the public claims the systems could have prevented casualties. 

 

Nine individuals are still missing in the disaster.