In Oni municipality, in the disaster zone, rescuers are conducting search operations consecutively both in the epicenter of the disaster as well as in the beds of Rioni and Chanchakhi rivers.
Live force, heavy equipment, K-9 unit experts and swimming means of transport are involved in the works. At the end of the day, Temur Mghebrishvili, head of the Emergency Situations Management Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, made a summary comment to the media regarding the ongoing work.
“At the moment, the search is actively underway. In fact, we have already searched the entire area in the epicenter of the disaster. There are several hundred square meters of territory left, which heavy equipment could not enter, and we will be working in this direction tonight.
For tomorrow, we are planning to advance heavy equipment into the river bed, which was not possible before due to the soil. Today we searched certain areas where we suspected a body or a fragment might have been. The ground is already solid and we will start active search operations from tomorrow morning.
You’re aware that the search operation of the 54-kilometer section in the valleys of Rioni and Chanchakha rivers is underway, both by the swimming means of transport as well as K-9 unit experts. Also, firemen and rescuers are moving on foot in the river beds and monitoring is underway together with the employees of the Ministry of Defense.
As for the data, unfortunately, there is no change. 26 bodies have been found so far. 7 people are missing. We are waiting for DNA answers on several people. There are also two body fragments in the forensics facility, whose identification we are waiting for," - noted Temur Mghebrishvili.
