2024 Gudauri carbon monoxide poisoning
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.jpg) Gudauri in winter | |
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| Date | 14 December 2024 |
|---|---|
| Location | Gudauri in Kazbegi Municipality, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Georgia |
| Coordinates | 42°28′33″N 44°28′43″E / 42.47583°N 44.47861°E |
| Cause | carbon monoxide poisoning |
| Deaths | 12 |
On 14 December 2024, the bodies of 12 individuals were discovered in a quarters billet of an Indian restaurant in Gudauri, Georgia.[1] The victims were employees of the restaurant, and included 11 Indian nationals and one Georgian citizen.[2][3]
It was the worst accident in the region since a helicopter crash in 2022, where eight people died.[4]
In Gudauri, there was an Indian restaurant, Havel, where mostly Indian employees worked. The restaurant was in the building on the first floor, while the workers had lodgings on the second floor.[5]
Tragedy
The day before the accident, there was a storm in Gudauri that caused a power outage.[5] In order to be able to heat the lodgings, electric generators using fuel oil were placed in a closed area near the rooms.[5] Fumes from the generator caused carbon monoxide poisoning.[citation needed]
The victims later felt nauseous from the carbon monoxide and were unable to escape.[5] On the second day, the restaurant owner discovered the corpses.[5]
The bodies showed no signs of violence, ruling out foul play.[6][7]
Victims
In the accident 12 people were killed, all of whom were restaurant workers. Eleven of them had Indian citizenship,[8] and one person was a 25-year-old Georgian woman who worked as a waitress in the restaurant.[5] The Indian citizens were natives of Punjab. Among them were a married couple.[8] Most of the Indian victims recently moved to Georgia in search of employment opportunities.[8]