Prepared by Messenger Staff
Two Dead, One Injured After Building Collapse Near Station Square in Tbilisi
A residential building near Station Square in Tbilisi collapsed, resulting in the death of two person and injuries to another, who is currently receiving treatment at a clinic, officials confirmed.
"Unfortunately, an accident occurred, as a result of which one person died, and one was injured, who is receiving appropriate treatment in the clinic," said Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze during a statement on Monday.
According to Kaladze, the building had been officially categorized as fifth-degree dilapidated and was not eligible for rehabilitation. He said residents were informed of the condition and offered participation in the city's replacement program, which would have involved dismantling the building and constructing a new one.
"As for the building itself, it was damaged. It was classified as a fifth category of dilapidation, which was not subject to rehabilitation," Kaladze said. "The local population knew about this. A meeting was held at the Didube district administration."
He explained that the replacement program requires unanimous consent from all residents. "An offer was made to participate in the replacement program, through which we would ensure the dismantling of the building in question and the construction of a new building. You know that the implementation of such a program requires 100 percent consent of the population, which unfortunately could not be achieved," Kaladze noted.
While several families agreed to relocate and were provided with rent support, others declined, preventing the program from moving forward.
Emergency services were deployed to the scene shortly after the collapse. The identity of the deceased has not yet been released, and an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the structural failure.
Kobakhidze Accuses EU Ministers of Spreading Disinformation, Cites Influence of 'Deep State'
A joint statement by the foreign ministers of 17 European countries and the EU's High Representative drew sharp criticism from Irakli Kobakhidze, who called the document "saturated with disinformation" and accused European institutions of being manipulated by informal power structures.
"The statement is saturated with disinformation in all directions," Kobakhidze said in response to the letter, which raised concerns over the arrest of political figures and the state of democracy in Georgia. "As for the arrest of politicians, the assessments we read in this letter are absolutely untrue. The same applies to the imprisonment of perpetrators. The relevant passage is also absolutely saturated with disinformation, which is unfortunate."
Kobakhidze expressed regret that such accusations came from high-ranking officials. "We are talking about the foreign ministers of 17 states, we are talking about the high representative of the European Union, and when a letter saturated with such disinformation is published with the signatures of such people, of course, it is very regrettable," he said.
He claimed that informal governance is growing within European institutions and that moral standards have deteriorated. "Informal governance is strong in European structures, in the European bureaucracy, and in such times, unfortunately, all moral boundaries are erased. Any lie can be written even in such a high-level letter."
Kobakhidze alleged that a so-called "Deep State" is working through European and British bureaucracies to undermine Georgia. "The Deep State was based on three main centers - the former US administration, the British bureaucracy, and the EU bureaucracy," Kobakhidze said. "Today, a struggle is taking place in the US between the new administration and the Deep State, and in such conditions, the Deep State is primarily using the European bureaucracy and Great Britain to implement its vicious goals."
He argued that Georgia is being targeted as part of this broader agenda. "We see that the European bureaucracy and the British bureaucracy are being used most actively for attacks against the Georgian people. We hope that ultimately the gap will be narrowed and relations between Georgia and European structures will improve," he concluded.
