Russia and Georgia close border checkpoint due to rising river level

The Emergency Management Service of Georgia’s Foreign Ministry said rising levels of the Devdoraki river had led to evacuation of employees from the Dariali border checkpoint with Russia.

A signal message had been received from a measuring detector installed in the locality at 8:36am on the rising levels of water, with the notification followed by the evacuation with efforts involving Patrol Police, Customs Service, Border Police and employees of private companies working at the checkpoint.

A Border Police helicopter with a crew from the National Agency for Environmental Protection and geologists has also been dispatched to assess the situation on the ground.

As a precautionary measure, a highway near the village of Gveleti has been closed and traffic in both directions for all types of vehicles has been limited.