Fire at Batumi Hotel Kills 11, Injures over 20
Around 150 fire-fighters and 200 Police officers were mobilized at the Leo Grand hotel in Georgia’s Black Sea coastal city Batumi on Friday, where an extensive fire killed 11 people, amongst whom 10 are said to be Georgians. 21 others were seriously injured.
Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reported that the emergency services were notified of the blaze at 20:01 on Friday.
Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia told reporters that firefighters had to use rescue cranes to evacuate guests from the building and added that an investigation had been launched under Article 243 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, entailing a breach of fire and safety norms.
“The main stairs of the hotel were blocked due to the fire and the hotel guests were stuck on the 7th floor. I would like to thank the fire-fighters, who managed to save around 100 people,” Gakharia said.
Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, who was returning to Georgia from Brussels, re-directed to Batumi to visit the scene. He stressed that the investigation will reveal the cause of the fire, and all those responsible will be brought to justice in accordance with the law. “We all stand by the families of the deceased. This is a huge tragedy for us,” he added.
The Government of Georgia declared November 27 as a Day of Mourning for the victims of the November 24 tragedy. National flags were lowered throughout the country.
After the tragic fire, Public Defender of Georgia, Ucha Nanuashvili, called for an inspection of all the hotels throughout the country in terms of fire and security norms. Nanuashvili offered his condolences to the families of the deceased, saying that not only are hotel personnel to be held responsible, but the state also. “This case should serve as grounds for the implementation of relevant regulations by authorities in order to check the safety of all hotels and guesthouses,” Nanuashvili said, adding that it is important to quickly and effectively investigate the cause of the blaze.
The Chair of the Adjara Government, Zurab Pataridze, told media that the Leo Grand hotel had earlier been fined by the corresponding agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs due to poor fire safety norms, adding the Tourism Department had also issued recommendations last year.
Kakha Tsereteli, the lawyer of Leo Grand hotel, stated the company is not avoiding responsibility and is ready to cooperate with the investigation. He said law enforcers had been provided with all requested documents by the company.
The owner of Leo Grand, Erol Avegoren, claimed the hotel has not been fined for neglecting safety guidelines and that safety measures were in line with legal standards.
"The security measures at the hotel meet national standards. The hotel has never been fined for non-observance of the safety rules," Avgoren told reporters.
Despite Avgoren’s comment of a clean safety record, their lawyer stated that the hotel had been fined 100 GEL on June 20.
"The hotel was fined on June 20 with regard to fire-extinguishers. The hotel corrected the deficiency, but, unfortunately, this tragedy occurred. The company will support the families," Tsereteli said.
11 people were killed in the fire, including 10 Georgians and 1 citizen of the Republic of Iran. 21 people were injured, including a firefighter, 4 Turkish citizens and 1 Israeli.
The Georgia Today team