The landslide killed at least 17 people, and nearly 70 were rescued in the mountain resort town of Shovi in Georgia. The landslide struck the resort in the Racha region. Drone footage of the landslide revealed that the lush green valley was partially covered in mud, tree trunks, and other debris.

On August 4, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili delivered a speech to the people of Georgia. She expressed her profound grief over the tragedy in Racha's resort of Shovi, her condolences to the families of the deceased, and said she was praying for the safety of the missing people. Zourabichvili referred to it as a tragedy for all of Georgia. The Georgian President added, "We know how to stand together in the face of such tragedies; it's important that we stand together and help people in need." Zourabichvili paid respect to every rescuer and ordinary people on the catastrophe site, making every effort to save lives. She emphasized that her administration expressed their support for the local government and other state entities and their willingness to participate in any manner that they could to assist the country in getting past the tragedy. Zourabichvili congratulated the rescuers and emphasized how tough and crucial their job was.

On August 5, the National Environmental Agency released a statement. It said that no significant landslides have occurred in the Shovi region or along the Bubistskali River in the past. However, the Agency claimed that five different processes converged during the accident to cause disastrous outcomes. The Agency said that in the Bubastskali River valley (the right tributary of the Chanchakhi River), in particular, the intense melting of the Buba and Tbilisa glaciers and the ensuing precipitation set the solid sediments in the valley in motion and developed active lateral erosion processes, scouring the river banks. The so-called coastal landslide processes, which eventually evolved into mudslides, were made easier to build and activate as a result.

According to data gathered by the National Environment Agency's geologists, it is known that the flood that developed on Bubistskali (the right tributary of Chanchakha) had not previously resulted in significant geological processes and that similar catastrophes were never seen in Shovi, as opposed to the left tributary river of Dzghviora (a tributary of river Chanchakhi), where flood processes are frequently active. The Agency also appeared to downplay the findings of the 2021 annual geological report, which received attention yesterday for stating that the threat posed by the mudslide to the central highway and the Shovi resort's infrastructure was high.

Azerbaijan and Armenia offer help

On August 4, Jeyhun Bayramov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, called Ilia Darchiashvili, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, regarding the disaster that occurred as a result of floods and landslides near the Shovi resort in Racha mountainous region of Georgia, the Press Office of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reported.

The minister expressed deep condolences to the families and relatives of those who died during this serious disaster, to the friendly government and people of Georgia, and wished for the recovery of the injured. The minister expressed hope that the missing persons will be found soon.

Minister Bayramov emphasized that Azerbaijan is always with Georgia and is ready to assist in rescuing measures and eliminating the consequences of the natural disaster.

On the same day, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a telephone conversation with Ilia Darchiashvili, the Press Office of the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported.

Ararat Mirzoyan once again expressed condolences to his colleague, the government, and the friendly people of Georgia for the loss of life due to the landslides in the Racha region.

Minister Mirzoyan offered the support of the Armenian government in fighting the disaster and eliminating its consequences.