Georgian rescuers save lost tourists
By Tea Mariamidze
Monday, July 10
Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reports that rescuers of the Emergency Management Agency and MIA Border Police rescued five foreign tourists who got lost in Shatili, Mtskheta-Mtianeti Region.
On Saturday the heavy rain flooded the river in Shatili and locked the road for the 17-member tourist group. The tourists called the emergency service 112 and reported that they could not find 5 people from their group.
MIA reports that as soon as the call was received they sent a rescue squad to the territory.
“Five of the foreign tourists were found and taken to the safe place by the MIA employees. Currently, they are in Tbilisi together with other members of the 17-member group and their lives are not in danger,” MIA says.
The ministry added that during the rescue operation 4 more tourists were found, who had lost their way.
“The MIA Border Police helicopters made several flights to Shatili on July 8 and up to 80 tourists were taken to a safe place,” the statement of MIA reads.
Moreover, Georgian rescue officers saved three Israeli tourists in the province of Khevsureti in the mountains of east Georgia.
The tourists had lost way due to the bad weather conditions as heavy rain damaged roads preventing the travelers from leaving the region.
The Georgian Emergency Management Agency has received 17 signals of flooding due to heavy rain across the country these days.
Houses and farm lands were flooded in Georgia’s western regions of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti and Racha-Lechkhumi as rivers swelled over their banks.
Bad weather has also hit the eastern part of Georgia as large piles of stones and mud had earlier blocked the section of Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Larsi road, connecting Georgia with Russia.
The Interior Ministry said the rescue teams have immediately responded to the signals and took affected people to safer places.
