No casualties after helicoptercrash in Borjomi
By Tea Mariamidze
Monday, August 28
A Georgian helicopter fell out of the sky while taking part in firefighting efforts in Borjomi forest. The helicopter crashed into the water of a reservoir while refilling it on Sunday morning.
The crew of the Border Police helicopter was taken out of the water by rescuers. All four men are reported to have only minor injuries. They were immediately taken to Gudushauri hospital in Tbilisi.
As reported, the Mi-8 helicopter had been working in Borjomi Gorge since August 20 when the fire started, and it was working 12 hours a day.
The Minister of Internal Affairs (MIA) has launched an investigation into the case under Article 275 of Criminal Code of Georgia, pertaining to ‘violation of the exploitation rules of a helicopter’.
The Interior Ministry has released a statement regarding the incident, saying the helicopter underwent technical testing two days before the accident.
The statement reads that the helicopter crashed when it was filling the reservoir with water.
“As a result of the professional and operative action of pilots, a tragedy was avoided,” the statement of the MIA reads.
Interior Minister, Giorgi Mghebrishvili, arrived at the site to monitor the situation.
“The helicopter carried 600 loads of water in the Borjomi Gorge which constituted more than 1300 tons of water…an investigation is underway and after it is completed we will know the exact reason of the incident,” the minister stated.
The head of the Presidential Administration, Giorgi Abashishvili, also arrived at the scene.
“The most important thing is that the health condition of the pilots is satisfactory and there were no casualties,” he said.
Davit Sergeenko, Minister of Health of Georgia, arrived at the Gudushauri clinic to monitor the health condition of the injured.
“There are three pilots and one rescue member in hospital. They have already undergone primary tests and the doctors say they have only minor injuries,” the minister stated at the hospital.
