The Emergency Management Service of Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs stated rising levels of the Devdoraki River had led to evacuation of employees from the Dariali border checkpoint with Russia.

“At 08:36, a measuring detector, situated in Devdoraki and recording changes in the case of a minor increase in water flow in the riverbed, issued a warning signal to the emergency management agency.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, verification processes began immediately upon receipt of the information.

As a result, all patrol police, customs officers, border police, and private company employees working at the Dariali border checkpoint were evacuated to a safe location under the protocol.

A border police helicopter, carrying employees from the National Agency for Environmental Protection and geologists, has been dispatched to inspect the territory.

As a precautionary measure, a highway near the village of Gveleti has been closed and traffic in both directions for all types of vehicles has been limited”, - reads the statement of the agency.