Public “comprehensively” informed over Shovi landslide – ruling party MP

Irakli Kadagishvili, an MP of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri would feature in the legislative body to answer to the lawmakers’ questions over the August 3 landslide in Georgia’s Shovi resort, killing 25, but stressed the public had already received “ comprehensive” answers to their questions on the disaster. 

 

The MP claimed the part of the domestic opposition was trying to use the topic for their “political goals” and “sparking unrest” in the country, as they had “no chances” to come to power via elections. 

 

Domestic opposition and civil groups have accused the authorities of delayed response to the landslide, failure to buy new rescue helicopters while in office for 11 years, and the absence of early warning systems, which they said could have prevented casualties. 

 

The Government has rejected the allegations as “politically grounded” and claimed “all resources” had been used to respond to the consequences caused by the disaster, highlighting the landslide was “unpreventable”.  

 

Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday also accused the landslide survivor – who said he was stranded in the mud for three hours with his underage relative – of telling a “lie”, receiving a severe backlash on social media. 

 

The opposition claimed the Government attacked the survivors as they were “alive witnesses” of the Government’s “ineffective work” and that the casualties would have been prevented. 

 

Eight individuals are still missing in the aftermath of the landslide, with 90 percent of the affected resort territory already inspected.