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Overnight Flooding Kills 5 In Georgian Capital


Georgian officials say five people were killed in Tbilisi overnight by raging floodwaters after torrential rains caused the Kura River to burst its banks.

Georgia's Agency for Emergency Situations said those killed included a mother with her two children, an elderly woman, and an elderly man. It said all were trapped in their homes and crushed when their buildings collapsed in Tbilisi's Ortachala neighborhood.

Residents say water rose as high as three meters in the neighborhood and lifted parked cars.

The floods also caused a cut to electricity in several Tbilisi neighborhoods.

Mayor Gigi Ugulava has pledged financial assistance to all flood victims.

He said he was unable to estimate the damage caused by the flood, but he said it was "quite substantial."

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, Interfax, and ITAR-TASS

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