At least nine people dead after helicopter crash in Georgia

July 30 () –

At least nine people have died this Friday morning in a helicopter that crashed during a rescue operation in the Georgian region of Miskheta-Mtianeti, according to the Georgian Interior Minister.

“This Friday, in the vicinity of the Gudauri ski resort, during a paragliding flight, two people fell into a rocky drop. A Border Police helicopter intervened in the rescue operation, which has lost control and has crashed,” declared the Georgian Minister of the Interior, Vakhtang Gomelauri, in statements collected by ‘Georgia Today’.

As detailed by the head of the Interior portfolio, inside the rescue helicopter were four members of the crew, two rescuers from the Ministry’s Emergency Situations Management Service, as well as two doctors from the Ministry of Health. All of them would have died after the accident.

While trying to rescue the two paragliders, the helicopter lost control and crashed. At that time, one of the paragliders has died, while the other has been injured. The only survivor has been transferred to a medical center, reported Gomelauri, according to ‘Kviris Palitra’.

The Ministry of the Interior has stated in a statement that it plans to tighten regulations on paragliding flights, while also announcing their suspension for the time being. Due to the death of the nine people, Saturday, July 30, has been declared a day of mourning in Georgia.