17 killed in mini-bus crash

TBILISI: Ex-Soviet Georgia on Monday announced a day of mourning after 17 people were killed when a mini-bus plunged 80 metres (260 feet) off a mountain road.

Police said the accident took place on Sunday in the country’s Mtskheta-Mtianeti region in the Caucasus Mountains.

The mini-bus “fell over a rocky slope” while travelling in the municipality of Dusheti, killing 17 people and leaving three seriously injured, the interior ministry said in a statement.

Emergency workers evacuated the injured for medical treatment and police were investigating the cause.

The government declared Tuesday a day of national mourning, with flags to fly at half-mast across the country. – AFP