Heavy rain triggers flooding in Georgia’s Telavi, damaging homes and infrastructure

Heavy rainfall caused the Telavi Khevi riverbed to overflow late on Saturday night, flooding streets, residential buildings and public facilities in the eastern Georgian city of Telavi, local authorities said.

The flooding affected the ground floors of homes, shops, pharmacies, commercial premises and public buildings, while a bridge was also destroyed, according to preliminary reports.

The storm damaged parts of the gas supply network and electricity infrastructure, leaving thousands of customers without natural gas and power.

Kakheti Governor Giorgi Aladashvili said the scale of the damage caused by the disaster was significant. An emergency response headquarters has been established to coordinate recovery and clean-up operations.