Up to 45 families have been evacuated from the village of Kursebi in Tkibuli Municipality, some 20 minutes’ drive from the western Georgian city of Kutaisi, due to a landslide that began in the early hours of March 12 and continued in the days that followed.
The landslide is said to have already affected up to 60 hectares of land across three neighborhoods, causing the complete collapse of around 10 to 15 houses, while damaging others. It also damaged a section of the Kutaisi (Motsameta)-Tskhaltsitela-Ambrolauri highway and affected village cemeteries where residents’ ancestors are buried. No injuries have been reported.
Locals recall that the landslide began in the early hours of March 12, when residents were awakened by the sound of cracking ground and falling trees. They say the landslide moved gradually, allowing people to alert neighbors, call the emergency services, and organize an evacuation that may have saved lives.
“At about half past four, our neighbor called and told us that a debris flow was coming and that we had to leave the area immediately,” a resident told Mega TV, an Imereti-based media outlet, recounting the night of the disaster. “I don’t know how we managed to get out. Even now, it amazes me. I have a small child; I grabbed them in my arms and ran with all my strength. We got into the cars and left,” she said.
Mariam Berodze, another resident, recalled that people survived because “the landslide did not break off suddenly and instead started moving gradually.”
Specialists, including geologists, remain on site and continue monitoring both the disaster zone and the surrounding areas. According to the National Environment Agency, the landslide process is now entering a “stabilization phase.”
Residents affected by the disaster have been temporarily transferred to hotels in Tkibuli and Kutaisi. As families remain in uncertainty, they say they were told by officials that rent assistance will be provided for a certain period. Citing the large scale of the disaster, locals – devastated by the loss of their homes and orchards – have suggested resettlement to a new land together in order to preserve their community.
Merab Gaprindashvili, head of the Geology Department under the National Environment Agency, told Public Broadcaster that predicting landslides in advance remains extremely difficult, particularly in the context of global climate change, as such processes “are no longer subject to regularities.” He said that geological hazards, including landslides, have tripled globally over the past 10-15 years, a trend also reflected in Georgia.
Gaprindashvili added that the most effective preventive tool is the prior geological assessment of territories. Over the past decade, he said, around 100,000 residential homes and household plots have been assessed for landslide risks in Georgia, and geological hazard zoning maps have been created to evaluate high-risk areas for settlement.
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