Rescue workers carry the body of a victim of a landslide near Shovia, about 85 miles northwest of the capital Tbilisi, Georgia, on Friday. At least seven people were killed and more than 30 are missing after a landslide hit a resort area in the mountains of the country of Georgia, officials and news reports said Friday. Zurab Tsertsvadze/Associated Press
LONDON — The death toll from a landslide that hit a resort area in the mountains of the country of Georgia increased to 17, officials and news reports said Saturday, on the third day of a search and rescue operation.
The landslide hit the Shovi area on Thursday. Shovi, about 85 miles northwest of the capital Tbilisi, is popular for its mineral springs and rugged mountain vistas and contains cottages and small hotels.
The head of the Georgian Internal Affairs Ministry’s Emergency Management Service, Temur Mgebrishvili, confirmed the death of 17 people and noted that 18 people were still unaccounted for.
Georgian authorities said that, of the dead, they had only been able to identify seven people and that DNA analysis would determine the identity of the other victims.
Officials said the landslide was triggered by heavy rainfall, aggravated by recent erosion in the area.
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