Landslide hinders traffic on Georgian Military Road

(Update 14:30)

The Georgian Military Road was closed for several hours due to heavy rain,  the Department of Highways of the Georgian Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia said. 

The traffic was closed for all types of vehicles for several hours due to a landslide on the 54 km mark of the Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Lars section.

The road is open in one direction now," Sputnik Georgia reported with reference to the department.

The movement is prohibited for all types of vehicles on the 75-100 km section of the Zhinvali-Barisakho-Shatili road due to mudslides.

The deputy spokesman of the Department of Highways of the Georgian Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia Irakli Kobidze, speaking with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, estimated the landslide as small and reported that as of 14:30 Moscow time the road is open. "After the cleaning works carried out by our organizations, the entire section of the Military Georgian Road, which has been damaged, is cleared and opened for all types of vehicles," he assured.

"At the moment, the rain stopped. In general, the elimination of landslides depends on the volume of landslide masses coming down from the mountains because of the rain, but we are working promptly, and in this case we managed to clear the road using special equipment. Tomorrow there will be dry hot weather as before. The landslide, in fact, was due to a two-day rainy weather," Irakli Kobidze said.