The Georgian Ministry of Infrastructure has announced plans to construct a memorial in Shovi to commemorate the victims of the 2023 landslide disaster.
Infrastructure Minister Revaz Sokhadze visited the site to inspect the project, accompanied by MP Gocha Enukidze and State Representative of Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti Papuna Margvelashvili.
The Ministry stated that the memorial is funded by the local budget and is expected to be completed by August 2025.
In addition, the Roads Department will build and rehabilitate two bridges damaged by the disaster, improving access to the area.
The Shovi disaster occurred on August 3, 2023, when a massive landslide struck the popular mountain resort area of Shovi, located in Georgia’s Racha region. Triggered by intense rainfall and melting glaciers, the landslide swept through the area with devastating force, destroying infrastructure and burying buildings under mud and debris. The disaster claimed the lives of at least 32 people, including children, and left several others injured or missing. It is considered one of the deadliest natural disasters in Georgia in recent years, prompting national mourning and calls for improved early warning systems and disaster preparedness.