Georgian government announces mourning about death of four residents of Abkhazia

In Georgia, April 10 will be a day of mourning in memory of four residents of Abkhazia who drowned while crossing the Inguri River, the Prime Minister of the country has ordered. Georgian police and Abkhazian law enforcers have launched an inquiry into the circumstances of people's death.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 14, 2020, the Abkhazian authorities closed the border with Georgia due to the pandemic, since then it has been repeatedly opened for several days. On April 7, Georgian rescuers found the bodies of three people in the Inguri River that is bordering on Abkhazia. These residents of Abkhazia had tried to bypass the border check-posts, Georgian authorities have stated, blaming Russia for the incident.

In early April, two men and two women tried to wade across the Inguri River from the village of Tagiloni (Gali District of Abkhazia). After that, communication with them was lost.

The body of the fourth victim was found on April 7 near the village of Orsaniya, the "InterPressNews" News Agency has reported.

Residents of the Gali District, 95% of which are Georgians, told that receiving a pass in Sukhumi costs 1000 roubles, or about 45 laris. Since not many can afford such expenses, they often try wading across the river.