Border-Crossing Point with Russia, Closed by Landslide, Partly Reopened

Kazbegi-Zemo Larsi border-crossing point between Russia and Georgia, which was closed down after a landslide hit the Dariali gorge on August 20, was partly reopened on Saturday afternoon.

Traffic via the border-crossing point will be possible for 11 hours a day and will be closed from 6pm to 7am, according to the Ministry of Finance, which operates the border-crossing point.

Full reopening of the traffic was initially planned by the noon on Saturday, but a new landslide of much smaller scale again damaged riverbed of Tergi, which flooded some areas near the border-crossing point. The authorities had to reopen traffic only partially for “safety reasons,” according to the Finance Ministry.

Landslide in the Dariali gorge late on August 20, the second one in three months, killed two men – Turkish and Georgian citizens, who were working on a nearby construction site of hydropower power plant.