Landslide hits village in Georgia, leaving two families worst affected
Major landslide hits Georgian village
A landslide struck the mountainous village of Gomaro in Georgia’s Adigeni municipality. Rocks and debris swept down the mountainside, damaging residents’ homes and cars. No injuries were reported.
The incident occurred late on 23 July. The first photos and videos from the scene were published by local outlet TOK TV.
Footage from the scene shows that the debris that crashed into one of the houses piled up to nearly half the height of the building.
A pickup truck parked beside the house was completely buried under rocks and mud.
The homeowner told TOK TV that the debris reached the level of the windows. A surge of water smashed a window and flooded the rooms.
“A torrent suddenly came rushing through and swept everything away. The whole house is flooded. The fridge, the gas supply—everything has been damaged,” the young man said.
The Siradze family’s home was among the hardest hit. Its owners told the reporter that the house had also been damaged by a landslide in the same area last year.
Local residents say last year’s landslide was less severe. This time, a much larger torrent of water and rocks came crashing down from the forest, damaging more homes than in the previous landslide.
Another local outlet, Samkhretis Karibche, reported that the family was not at home when the landslide struck.
“My father is ill, and we had gone to Batumi to visit him. Our neighbours called and told me to come back. When I arrived, I saw they were using pumps to drain water from the houses and had torn down walls… I have nothing left. The fridge, the gas supply, all the household appliances—everything that could be plugged into the electricity… The beds and the floor have been ripped out. Nothing is left.”
According to a local resident, officials at the mayor’s office said it would take time to resolve the problems in Gomaro. Geologists from Tbilisi first need to assess the situation. After that, “it will take millions to build bridges and retaining walls.”
“If we try to repair the bridges and retaining walls ourselves, we’ll be the ones held responsible. We’ve already been waiting for a year,” the young woman said.
Heavy machinery was brought into Gomaro on Thursday evening, and part of the affected area has already been cleared. Cleanup operations are set to continue the following day.
Statement from the authorities
The Adigeni Municipality administration released an official statement on the second day after the disaster.
According to the statement, heavy rainfall across the region caused damage in three villages: Gomaro, Kvemo Enteli and Shoka.
The administration said the landslide in Gomaro damaged two residential homes, while a car was buried under debris. In Kvemo Enteli, agricultural land was damaged, while in Shoka both road infrastructure and farmland were affected.
“As a result of the emergency response, the riverbed in the village of Gomaro has been restored to its original course, while road clearance operations are continuing in the village of Shoka. At the same time, a special commission established by the municipal administration continues to assess the extent of the damage,” the administration said in its statement.
Major landslide hits Georgian village
