One dead and 36 injured in the military vehicle accident
By Tea Mariamidze
Monday, October 24
Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) launched an investigation into the car accident on Friday, which left one soldier dead and 36 injured.
The accident happened on the highway in Kakheti, and the Georgian Defense Ministry’s Kamaz truck suddenly overturned.
Eight servicemen, who had severe injuries, were taken to hospitals in Tbilisi. The condition of four of them is serious but stable, while the rest of the soldiers are undergoing treatment at the military hospital in Gori.
The soldiers hospitalized in Tbilisi were visited by representatives of the president’s administration, Defense Minister Levan Izoria, Health Minister Davit Sergenko and other officials.
“The health condition of the injured soldiers is stable. At present, their lives are not in danger and they continue getting medical treatment,” Sergeenko stated after visiting the soldiers.
The deceased soldier was named as Akop Malkhaziani. He had been undergoing mandatory military service since November 2015.
The reason of the accident is still unknown. The investigation was launched on the basis of the fifth passage of article 276 of the Criminal Code about violation of traffic safety rules or regulations concerning commercial exploitation, resulting in death.
“The investigation has several versions. One of them is alleged high speed drive, another is violation standard operating procedures rules by convoy. The investigation will find out the truth,” Izoria commented.
Georgia’s Defense Ministry and President Giorgi Margvelashvili expressed their condolences to the killed soldier’s family and wished a swift recovery to the injured servicemen.
