Georgia declares national day of mourning for Batumi building collapse victims
October 11 has been declared a national day of mourning over the victims of five-turned-seven-floor residential building collapse in downtown Batumi, Georgia’s coastal town, on October 8, Civil Georgia reports.
At least six people, including two children and their mother, died as a result, as per the latest data. The young mother, pulled alive from the rubble some eight hours after the incident, died in the hospital this morning.
One more person, reportedly a 36-year-old man, who was pulled alive from the ruins after 11 hours, remains in hospital in a severe condition.
Emergency rescue groups have been working for some 24 hours since the building collapse yesterday noon, still looking for three people, as noted by Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri.
The Ministry of Interior detained three people over the incident, including a ground floor flat owner and two construction-renovation workers, for carrying out construction and renovation works in gross violation of safety rules, that led to the collapse.
Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent a letter of condolences to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on the deadly incident, wishing all the injured a speedy recovery.