Gogita Parjiani and Giorgi Gvichiani, residents of Latali village in Mestia municipality, have been missing for five days. They were likely constructing the road on the Ipari-Lentekhi pedestrian route. Rescuers and volunteers are involved in the search. Mestia’s mayor, Kapiton Zhorjoliani, says that helicopter use is impossible due to cloud cover.
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Young people walked from Ipari to Lentekhi, where they were supposed to attend a training session. It takes about 13 hours to cover the route. As relatives say, they were last seen on Monday, July 22. In their messages, they said the road was blocked.
Relatives and friends of the missing people have taken to social media to criticize the state's response, calling the measures ineffective and requesting a helicopter.
"For 5 days, a helicopter was not deployed due to bureaucracy and paperwork. It is fog and cloud cover, they say. The sky in Svaneti has been clear all day. Even if the helicopter cannot be used, what prevents drones from being deployed? If there is a lack of equipment or human resources, can you just ask for help? Dozens of volunteers with drones will appear. Using thermal cameras after sunset is a basic step to take on the first day! It is shameful to have such an attitude towards people's lives. When people are missing, every moment is crucial," wrote Vika Pilpani, a member of the Mestia City Council.
Mayor Kapiton Zhorjoliani stated that they learned about the disappearance of the young people yesterday, and the search began the same day. He noted that, unlike in Zemo Svaneti, there is variable cloudiness and fog in Kvemo Svaneti, preventing the helicopter from flying.
"Our plan is to mobilize local hunters who know the area well and involve them in the search," Zhorjoliani said.
Later, the Emergency Situations Management Service released a statement indicating that special situation response teams from Tbilisi, Imereti, and Mestia mountain rescue forces, along with rescue drones, are involved in the search and rescue operation.
"Due to meteorological conditions, it is not possible to deploy the border police helicopter at this stage. All relevant units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are involved in the search operations alongside fire and rescue forces," the service said, noting that they received information about the incident on July 24.
This year, two European-type H145 helicopters were added to the Border Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia. After receiving the helicopters at the Airbus Helicopters plant in Germany, the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that the H145 is capable of operating at high altitudes and is fully equipped with mountain rescue equipment.
