The Minister of Internal Affairs is one of the key, high-ranking officials, who is directly responsible for providing answers about the Shovi resort tragedy, and the United National Movement (UNM) will use all parliamentary mechanisms to obtain the responses,” said UNM member Ani Tsitlidze.

According to Ani Tsitlidze, the ruling Georgian Dream party opposes the establishment of an interim facts-finding commission in the Shovi tragedy issue. However, Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri would have to answer the questions in the interpellation format.

“The society and the families of the deceased deserve answers to specific questions about whether this tragedy could have been prevented. No one is secured from natural disasters, although the government is responsible for minimizing the risk,” she said.

The UNM is interested in the reasons for belated rescue efforts, the dispatch of helicopters and in government’s refusal to ask neighbouring countries for assistance to perform rescue efforts at night.

The death toll in the landslide-ravaged Shovi resort of the Oni Municipality rose to 25 on August 14. Eight people are still missing, and rescue efforts continue at various locations.

A deadly landslide struck the resort on August 3.