Twelve people have died from carbon monoxide poisoning in what is being described as a tragic accident at a ski station in Georgia. The victims, which included 11 foreigners and one Georgian national, were found in their bedrooms on the second floor of a building above an Indian restaurant in the Gudauri ski resort, located in the northern part of the Caucasus country. According to police, preliminary tests on the bodies showed no signs of violence.
The victims are believed to have been employees of the restaurant, and the Georgian Interior Ministry has launched an investigation into the incident. The deaths are being treated as negligent manslaughter, as investigators try to determine the cause of the poisoning.
The initial findings suggest that the incident may be linked to an oil-powered electric generator that was switched on the day before the deaths. The generator was placed in an enclosed space near the bedrooms, after the building experienced a power outage on Friday. Police are working to establish whether the generator’s operation caused a dangerous buildup of carbon monoxide in the building.
Autopsies have been ordered to confirm the exact cause of death, and the identities of the victims have not yet been publicly released.
This tragedy comes at a time of heightened political tension in Georgia. Pro-EU protests have been ongoing in the country, with violent clashes between demonstrators and police. Earlier this month, police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds protesting the government’s decision to delay negotiations to join the European Union until 2028.