Seven people found dead after mudslide at Shovi mountain resort in Republic of Georgia

Rescue workers have recovered seven dead bodies after a Thursday evening mudslide that descended on Shovi, a mountain resort in the Racha region of the Republic of Georgia.

Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili is reportedly traveling to the disaster zone.

Locals explain that the mudslide was triggered by a mudflow that began after a river in the vicinity overflowed late yesterday afternoon. Masses of displaced soil have covered the front lawn of a local guesthouse and several buildings nearby.

According to the most recent reports, more than 200 people have been evacuated from the area; 35 others are not responding to the officials’ attempts to contact them.

Four hundred rescue workers and law-enforcement officers have been mobilized in the rescue operation. Helicopters are scanning the area, and specialists with rescue dogs are involved in the search for possible victims.

According to Prime Minister Garibashvili, the Georgian military will soon join the rescue operation. Local residents insist they should also be permitted to assist in the search-and-rescue work.

Georgia has declared August 7 to be a day of mourning for the victims of the disaster.