Carbon monoxide suspected in 12 deaths at Georgia ski resort

The skiers died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning at a ski resort in Georgia, police said on Monday. Photo / File

Twelve people have been found dead of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning at a ski resort in Georgia, police say

The bodies of 11 foreigners and one Georgian national were discovered on Sunday in a sleeping area above a restaurant at a ski resort in Gudauri, in the north of the Caucasus country.

“Preliminary tests do not indicate any trace of violence on the bodies,” which were discovered on the second floor of a building housing an Indian restaurant at the resort.

“An oil-powered generator was turned on after the building lost electricity” on Saturday, police said.

The authorities have opened an investigation into the incident.

The identities of the victims were not immediately released but they are presumed to be employees of the restaurant, according to the Georgian Interior Ministry.

The deaths are being treated as negligent manslaughter. Autopsies have been ordered to determine the actual cause of death.

Georgia is a former Soviet republic, with its western part lying on the coast of the Black Sea and its north nestled in the Caucasus Mountains.

Gudauri is a popular tourist destination for winter sports enthusiasts with a range of slopes suitable for skiers and snowboarders of all levels.

Gudauri is located in the Caucasus mountains in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region at about 2200m above sea level and is about 120km north of Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi.

Georgia has been in the news this month after pro-EU protesters were hit with tear gas and water canons fired by police.

Dozens were left needing hospital treatment following the demonstrations in Tbilisi.