CIS

Home page

CIS

Five-floor block of apartments collapsed in Tbilisi

26 April 2009 12:36 (UTC +04:00)

Rescuers are searching for two employees of the Rustavi 2. Editors Giorgi Gabunia and Nika Gelashvili presumably were on the third floor of the building during the incident. A cell phone of one of the editors stuck into the ruins has been found, although he had presumably left it on the other place, the other cell phone has not been found, although it is possible to make calls to it.

The rescue works have been continued for seven hours in the Jikia street. Rescuers started taking the injured people out of the ruins at 7 a.m. journalist Tatuli Natorshvili`s health condition is hardest of them. She presumably was with the project participants during the incident.

All the participants of the project were sleeping when the collapse started at 5 a.m. Producer Gavntsa Mamardashvili has been taken to hospital. She was on the third floor during the collapse. Presumably, employees of the Rustavi 2 Giorgi Gabunia and Nika Gelashvili were on the same floor. They have been searched for so far.

The incident occurred in Jikia street at 5 a.m. Rescuers have been searching for employees of the Rustavi 2for seven hours. Fourteen people were in the block of apartments during the incident. Five of them have been taken out and six of them have been taken to hospital with injuries. One of them Tatuli Natroshvili was taken right out of the ruins. Doctors say, her health condition is stable, although she may need a surgery.

Producer of the Star Academy is remaining in hospital, four participants of the project have been already discharged from hospital. Georgian Interior Minister and Tbilisi Mayor are at the site of occurrence now, they are watching the rescue operation by themselves. The building has collapsed due to obscure reasons.